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A two-day international conference under the theme 'A Decade of Act East Policy: Grassroot Perspective from North East India' was held on March 5-6, at Rayburn College in Churachandpur, Manipur.
The event was organised by Rayburn College (Autonomous) and the Indo-Myanmar Borderland Institute, in collaboration with the Indian Council of World Affairs. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Avinash Paliwal, Reader in International Relations at the Department of Politics & International Relations, SOAS, University of London. The conference featured a distinguished panel of plenary speakers, including Sabyasachi Dutta, Co-founder and Executive Director of Asian Confluence; Professor Kishalay Bhattacharjee, Dean of the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication and an award-winning author; Zomuana, Director of New Imaginations; and Dr. Fr. C.P. Anto, Principal of the Northeast Institute of Social Science and Research and a member of the Mizoram State Planning Board. The panel also included Dr. Thongkholal Haokip, Assistant Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Professor Samrat Sinha of the Jindal Global Law School; and Professor Priyanca Mathur, Head of the Centre for Research in Social Sciences and Education at JAIN (Deemed-to-be University). During the sessions, Professor Kishalay Bhattacharjee argued that the policy framework requires urgent calibration and redesign, with a stronger emphasis on local and regional dynamics to ensure it genuinely improves the lives of the people in the North East. Dr. Samuel G. Ngaihte, Registrar of Rayburn College, highlighted the importance of such platforms in bringing academic discourse to the grassroots level. In a separate development, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho, on February 22, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the progress of the peace process and rehabilitation in the violence-hit state. The Manipur CM wrote, "Had the privilege to call on Hon'ble Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, today in New Delhi, accompanied by Hon'ble Deputy Chief Ministers Nemcha Kipgen and L Dikho. We had a detailed and constructive discussion on key issues concerning Manipur, including measures for peace, stability, rehabilitation and progress." During the discussion, Amit Shah assured them of the Centre's support for the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Yumnam Khemchand said on X. "HM conveyed his firm assurance that the Union Government will extend every possible assistance to ensure the early resettlement and rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). On behalf of the people of Manipur, I express my sincere gratitude to HM for his continued support, guidance, and commitment towards the welfare of our State," the X post read. (ANI)
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