Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Frontier of progress: On the potential of the northeast

​Frontier of progress: On the potential of the northeast

India must recognise (पहचानना, मान्यता देना) the northeast’s diversity to tap its potential (क्षमता, संभावनाएं)

That unity in diversity (विविधता, भिन्नता) is India’s strength might sound clichéd (overused, overdone, overworked, hackneyed, banal, stereotyped, tired, run-of-the-mill), but it is as true as ever. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at the Rising North East Investors Summit (meeting, conference, conclave (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government)) 2025 last week, cited (invoke, mention, refer to, point to, adduce, turn to, resort to, have recourse to, use, put to use) the diversity of India’s northeastern region to underscore (ज़ोर देना, उजागर करना) the vast diversity of the country. The northeast is rich (plentiful, abundant, copious, ample, great, overflowing) in its cultural diversity and natural resources, and its location, topography (landscape/terrain, surroundings, environment) and complex histories make it a unique space. But its numerous linguistic (भाषाई), tribal and cultural affinities (समानता) can be a source of conflict (संघर्ष, विवाद) within the Indian state. At times, these conflicts can be violent as the one in Manipur, which erupted (start, happen suddenly; break out, flare up, blow up) on May 3, 2023, and is still simmering (burn, fume, rage, smoulder) between the Kuki and Meiti communities. The Modi government and State governments in the region have sought to turn the region into an attractive destination for investors and tourists. The Sela Tunnel (Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an altitude of around 13,000 feet and a cost of Rs 825 crore, the construction of the tunnel was aimed at providing all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela Pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road, which connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh) in Arunachal Pradesh, the Bhupen Hazarika bridge (also referred to as the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, is a beam bridge in India, connecting the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge spans the Lohit River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River. The bridge is the first permanent road connection between the northern Assam and eastern Arunachal Pradesh. At 9.15 kilometres (5.69 mi) in length, it is the longest bridge in India over water) in Assam, the construction of 11,000 kilometres of highways, extensive new rail lines, more airports, the development (विकास, स्थापना) of waterways (जलमार्ग) on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, the expansion of mobile telephony (the operation/use of telephones), and a 1,600-km-long Northeast Gas Grid (gas pipeline) are examples of the new dynamism (गतिशीलता) of the region. The Modi government has built on (expand, develop, enhance, improve, elaborate, refine) the initiatives of its predecessor (पूर्ववर्ती) United Progressive Alliance governments.

Mr. Modi has also sought to settle many a conflict in the region in the last decade (दशक). The Framework Agreement (रूपरेखा समझौता) with the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) in August 2015, although nebulous (अस्पष्ट, अनिश्चित) now, the Bodo Peace Accord (A new peace agreement was signed on 27 January 2020 between the Government of India and the Government of Assam on one side and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, (NDFB) the All Bodo Students’ Union and United Bodo People’s Organisation on the other. Under the terms of this agreement, a Bodoland Territorial Region was formed with enhanced executive and legislative powers. Bodoland, officially the Bodoland Territorial Region, is an autonomous region in Assam, Northeast India. It is made up of four districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river below the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. It is administered by an elected body known as the Bodoland Territorial Council which came into existence under the terms of a peace agreement signed in February 2003 and its autonomy was further extended by an agreement signed in January 2020) and the Bru refugee settlement (both in January 2020), and the rollback (withdrawal, removal; annulment, cancellation, invalidation) of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from a larger part of the region have been some of the steps signalling (indicate, show, express) the Centre’s intent. The change in perception (impression, understanding, feeling, discernment, judgement, recognition/realization, interpretation) about the northeast and its green cover has led to a surge (a sudden increase/rise) in tourism and attracted investments, headlined by the Tata Group’s ₹27,000-crore semiconductor plant coming up in Assam. But the challenges remain. Apart from Manipur, there is the perception in Nagaland that the Centre has lost interest (common concerns (in politics/business)) in the peace process. Inter-State (between states) border disputes also continue to haunt (disturb, trouble, torture, beset, worry, burden, plague) the region, although Assam has partially resolved its issues with Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. The investments have increased the demand for power and the focus on hydroelectric (relating to hydel power project that uses energy stored in water to produce electricity) projects, most in Arunachal Pradesh, has triggered (arouse; prompt; induce; cause; bring about) local protests fearing displacement (removal, expulsion, dismissal, overthrow, ouster, eviction, elimination, forced exit) and environmental damage in a region that is prone (susceptible to, vulnerable to, liable to, subject to, vulnerable to, at/in risk of) to natural disasters. Increased rhetoric (bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language) by the Bharatiya Janata Party about immigrants (emigrant, migrant, non-native, foreigner, settler) from Bangladesh and Myanmar has heightened (increase, raise, intensify, escalate, amplify, deepen) social tensions (strained relations, strain, unease). If India has to meaningfully pursue (engage in, conduct, take part in, take up (an activity); go after; be intent on, push towards, aim at/for, push/work towards) its Act East policy (a diplomatic initiative by The Government of India to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels which would eventually provide enhanced connectivity to the states of North Eastern region. What began as ‘Look East’ launched in 1991 transformed into ‘Act East’ in 2014), by integrating the northeast more closely with the east Asian economies, then its policies within the borders and toward the neighbouring (adjacent, adjoining, bordering, abutting) countries should be in alignment (agreement, union, cooperation).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.frontier (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सीमा, सरहद
English Meaning - the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary; border, boundary, borderline, dividing line, demarcation line.

2.potential (noun)

Hindi Meaning - क्षमता, संभावनाएं
English Meaning - possibilities, potentiality, prospects, promise, capacity, capability, ability, power.

3.recognise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पहचानना, मान्यता देना
English Meaning - acknowledge, realize, understand, discern.

4.diversity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विविधता, भिन्नता
English Meaning - existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group; variety, variance, difference.

5.underscore (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ज़ोर देना, उजागर करना
English Meaning - highlight, emphasise, underline, stress, call/draw attention to.

6.linguistic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भाषाई
English Meaning - relating to language; lingual.

7.affinity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समानता
English Meaning - association, link, relationship, similarity, resemblance, likeness.

8.conflict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, विवाद
English Meaning - dispute, quarrel, tussle, wrangle, disagreement, contention, strife, friction, discord.

9.development (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विकास, स्थापना
English Meaning - institution, establishment, inauguration, origination.

10.dynamism (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गतिशीलता
English Meaning - potency, efficacy, powerfulness, vigour, spirit.

11.waterway (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जलमार्ग
English Meaning - a navigable body of water such as a river, canal, or strait used for transportation.

12.predecessor (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्ववर्ती
English Meaning - previous holder of the post/position/job.

13.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

14.framework agreement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रूपरेखा समझौता
English Meaning - an agreement between two parties that recognizes that the parties have not come to a final agreement on all matters relevant to the relationship between them, but have come to agreement on enough matters to move forward with the relationship, with further details to be agreed to in the future.

15.nebulous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अस्पष्ट, अनिश्चित
English Meaning - imprecise, unclear, indefinite, confused, uncertain.

16.built on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - expand, develop, enhance, improve, elaborate, refine.

17.tap (verb)

English Meaning - use, utilize, draw on, exploit, milk, make use of.

18.clichéd (adjective)

English Meaning - overused, overdone, overworked, hackneyed, banal, stereotyped, tired, run-of-the-mill.

19.summit (noun)

English Meaning - meeting, conference, conclave (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government).

20.Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 (noun)

English Meaning - The Ministry of DoNER, Government of India, is organizing the Rising Northeast to showcase the investment and trade potential of the Northeast Region of India. The summit aims to highlight the region’s geostrategic advantage, abundant natural resources, skilled workforce, and access to captive markets in the Northeast and neighboring countries.

21.cite (verb)

English Meaning - invoke, mention, refer to, point to, adduce, turn to, resort to, have recourse to, use, put to use.

22.rich (verb)

English Meaning - plentiful, abundant, copious, ample, great, overflowing.

23.terrain (noun)

English Meaning - territory, ground, land, environment, topography, landscape.

24.topography (noun)

English Meaning - landscape/terrain, surroundings, environment.

25.erupt (verb)

English Meaning - start, happen suddenly; break out, flare up, blow up.

26.simmer (verb)

English Meaning - burn, fume, rage, smoulder.

27.Kuki-Zomi community (noun)

English Meaning - The Kuki people are an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur and other states in northeastern India. The “Mizo” (poetic version of “Zomi”), people are a ethnic group native to the Indian state of Mizoram and neighbouring regions of Northeast India.

28.Meitei/Manipuri people (noun)

English Meaning - an ethnic group native to the state of Manipur in northeastern India. Valley-dwellers & non-tribals Meitei/Manipuri comminity is the largest & dominant community in Manipur, account for about 53% of the State’s total population of 2.85 million (2011 census).

29.sought past and past participle of seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

30.Sela Tunnel (noun)

English Meaning - Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an altitude of around 13,000 feet and a cost of Rs 825 crore, the construction of the tunnel was aimed at providing all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela Pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road, which connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

31.Bhupen Hazarika bridge (noun)

English Meaning - also referred to as the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge, is a beam bridge in India, connecting the northeast states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The bridge spans the Lohit River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River. The bridge is the first permanent road connection between the northern Assam and eastern Arunachal Pradesh. At 9.15 kilometres (5.69 mi) in length, it is the longest bridge in India over water.

32.telephony (noun)

English Meaning - the operation/use of telephones.

33.grid (noun)

English Meaning - network.

34.Gas Grid (noun)

English Meaning - gas pipeline.

35.The north-east gas grid (noun)

English Meaning - it connects eight states in the region — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. This will ensure natural gas availability across the region.This is a joint venture of five state-run oil and gas companies — GAIL, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Oil India Limited (OIL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).

36.National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) (noun)

English Meaning - a Naga nationalist separatist group operating mainly in Northeast India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma) until 2012. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is the mother of all insurgent groups that sprang up in the Northeast in the 1950s. Earlier, NSCN had split into NSCN (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN (IM) and NSCN (Khaplang) or NSCN (K) due to differences between two top leaders. However, their training and modus operandi are common.

37.accord (noun)

English Meaning - agreement, settlement, treaty, deal; consensus.

38.Bodo Peace Accord (noun)

English Meaning - A new peace agreement was signed on 27 January 2020 between the Government of India and the Government of Assam on one side and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, (NDFB) the All Bodo Students’ Union and United Bodo People’s Organisation on the other. Under the terms of this agreement, a Bodoland Territorial Region was formed with enhanced executive and legislative powers. Bodoland, officially the Bodoland Territorial Region, is an autonomous region in Assam, Northeast India. It is made up of four districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river below the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. It is administered by an elected body known as the Bodoland Territorial Council which came into existence under the terms of a peace agreement signed in February 2003 and its autonomy was further extended by an agreement signed in January 2020.

39.Bru refugee settlement (noun)

English Meaning - An agreement was signed by the Union Government of India, Government of Tripura, and Government of Mizoram on January 16, 2020 with representatives of BRU migrants in the presence of the Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji for the permanent domicile of BRU (Reang) in Tripura. As per the agreement, 6959 BRU families (37,136 persons) will be rehabilitated in Tripura and for their rehabilitation, in Tripura, a financial assistance/ package of ₹661 crore will be given.

40.rollback (noun)

English Meaning - withdrawal, removal; annulment, cancellation, invalidation.

41.Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, (AFSPA), 1958 (noun)

English Meaning - In simple terms, Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”. They have the authority to prohibit a gathering of five or more persons in an area, can use force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a person is in contravention of the law. If reasonable suspicion exists, the army can also arrest a person without a warrant; enter or search a premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of firearms.

42.signal (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, show, express.

43.perception (noun)

English Meaning - impression, understanding, feeling, discernment, judgement, recognition/realization, interpretation.

44.led to past tense and past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - cause, bring on, bring about, result in, produce, or give rise to.

45.surge (noun)

English Meaning - a sudden increase/rise.

46.come up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - occur, happen, come about, transpire, emerge.

47.interest (noun)

English Meaning - common concerns (in politics/business).

48.inter-State (adjective/noun as modifier)

English Meaning - between states.

49.inter (prefix)

English Meaning - between.

50.haunt (verb)

English Meaning - disturb, trouble, torture, beset, worry, burden, plague.

51.hydroelectric (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to hydel power project that uses energy stored in water to produce electricity.

52.trigger (verb)

English Meaning - arouse; prompt; induce; cause; bring about.

53.displacement (noun)

English Meaning - removal, expulsion, dismissal, overthrow, ouster, eviction, elimination, forced exit.

54.prone (adjective)

English Meaning - susceptible to, vulnerable to, liable to, subject to, vulnerable to, at/in risk of.

55.rhetoric (noun)

English Meaning - bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.

56.immigrant (noun)

English Meaning - emigrant, migrant, non-native, foreigner, settler.

57.heighten (verb)

English Meaning - increase, raise, intensify, escalate, amplify, deepen.

58.tensions (noun)

English Meaning - strained relations, strain, unease.

59.pursue (verb)

English Meaning - engage in, conduct, take part in, take up (an activity); go after; be intent on, push towards, aim at/for, push/work towards.

60.Act East Policy (noun)

English Meaning - a diplomatic initiative by The Government of India to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels which would eventually provide enhanced connectivity to the states of North Eastern region. What began as ‘Look East’ launched in 1991 transformed into ‘Act East’ in 2014.

61.neighbouring (adjective)

English Meaning - adjacent, adjoining, bordering, abutting.

62.alignment (noun)

English Meaning - agreement, union, cooperation.