ROING, 20 Oct: The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the Jomin Tayeng Government Model Degree College (JTGMDC), Jemi Notko, here in Lower Dibang Valley district hosted a national webinar titled, ‘A discussion on development in North East India,’ wherein resource person from the Royal Thimpu College, Bhutan, Roderick Wijunamai emphasized how the term “development has become a political tool for politicians to use in order to achieve their political goals.”
The webinar was part of the Arete Lecture Series, which the IQAC, JTGMDC introduced in 2019 to improve academic discourses in the institution.
A lecturer in sociology and anthropology under the Department of Social Sciences, Wijunamai highlighted the various perspectives on development during the discussion. He criticized the westernized concept of development and discussed why and how understanding development from within is critical. Criticizing market-led development in north-eastern India, he also discussed how various developments in the region are more market-oriented than people-oriented.
“Such development activities have largely ignored the socio-cultural dimensions of development,” he said and emphasized the importance of understanding development from a local perspective, including “what is good and desirable for them in terms of material, food, culture, and specific ideas of communities with access to resources for subsistence, and envisioned a society built on solidarity.” Following the presentation, the participants interacted with the resource person.
Coordinator of IQAC, JTGMDC, Dr Apilang Apum had organized the event.
