Author: Aniruddha Babar

Despite tighter controls, India has yet to establish whether unauthorised crossings along the Myanmar border have fallen. Drugs and arms continue to flow, while border communities face growing restrictions on routes they have used for generations Two and a half years after India tightened controls along its 1,643-km border with Myanmar, the government can say how many people have entered through designated crossing points, how many have been registered biometrically and how much narcotics security agencies have seized. What it still cannot publicly say with clarity is whether the crackdown has achieved its central objective: has unauthorised movement across the…

Five tribal organisations in eastern Nagaland have asked the State Government to complete unfinished maintenance work on National Highway 202 before implementing the latest maintenance contract and have urged the authorities to move ahead with the long-pending two-laning of the highway. The Chang Khulei Setshang, United Sangtam Likhüm Pümji, Khiamniungan Tribal Council, Yimkhiung Tribal Council and Tikhir Tribal Council submitted the joint representation. The organisations said that work under the short-term maintenance contract, covering the period from June 16, 2025 to June 19, 2026, remained incomplete. They have given the agencies concerned until the first week of October 2026 to…

What International Indigenous Peoples Day Means for Eastern Nagas As the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority moves towards legislation, its real test will be whether self-governance can bring development, opportunity and decision-making closer to the people. Every year, on 9 August, the world pauses to recognise the rights, dignity, cultures, knowledge and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples. Across continents, communities remember their ancestors, celebrate their languages and traditions and reflect upon the future they are leaving for their children. For Eastern Nagas, International Indigenous Day arrives in 2026 with a particularly intimate meaning. It comes at a moment when questions of identity,…

How a forgotten constitutional experiment in Tuensang could offer a lawful pathway to regional empowerment in Eastern Nagaland without weakening India’s federal structure Article 371A is best known for protecting Naga customary law, tribal institutions and community ownership of land and resources. Far less attention has been paid to another extraordinary feature of the provision: the special constitutional architecture once created for the Tuensang region. More than six decades after Nagaland attained statehood, this largely forgotten experiment in asymmetric federalism remains one of the most innovative governance models in the Indian Constitution. At a time when demands for greater autonomy…

Shared Frontier, Shared Opportunity The future of Frontier Nagaland will be shaped not only by constitutional negotiations but also by its capacity to emerge as a vibrant frontier economy. While the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) has largely been discussed in terms of governance and administrative reform, its deeper significance lies in its potential to transform Eastern Nagaland into a dynamic centre of inclusive growth. Supported by responsive institutions, sustained public investment and active community participation, the FNTA can strengthen livelihoods, expand economic opportunities and reinforce India’s eastern frontier while also creating indirect benefits for neighbouring Naga communities across…