Infrastructure development in North-East

SHIVANANDA of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses reviews India's infrastructure in the North-East in the backdrop of China's rapidly augmented infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control with all-weather, double-lane roads, a road network of 58,000 kms, extension of Qinghai-Tibet railway up to Shigatse and additional airfields under construction in Tibet. He states that all passes and military posts on the LAC had been linked with highways, logistic depots and military installations and China could mobilize more than 30 divisions and outnumber Indian forces by 3:1.

In his op-ed for IDSA Comments, "Is India’s Transport Infrastructure Prepared for the Eastern Front?", states that although infrastructure development had picked up in the northern sector there was a considerable lag in the eastern sector undermining New Delhi's capability to thwart external aggression in the eastern front.

He calls for enhanced transport connectivity in the region with establishment of railway networks in the hinterland, timely construction of roads that extend to the borders, and expedited construction of bridges.

Unleashing India

JESSICA SEDDON of the Council on Foreign Relations states that Indian economy and the polity had built up substantial momentum albeit on a creaky infrastructure and poor services, undercutting its demographic dividend.

In an article for the Harvard International Review, "India's Catastrophic Landscape: Fixing a flawed foundation", she advocates a paradigm shift from a focus on particular policy changes such as labor market reform or financial sector reform to that of political reform where focus was on revamping the state's ability as an organization to deliver on the infrastructure and services for its citizens.

She calls for three elements: clarification of roles and responsibilities and untangling of three layers of government, improvement of management information systems and setting up of systems to recruit the right people such as intra-party democracy and campaign finance reform as part of a broader management overhaul of the state in response to growing disenchantment.