Revision summary
The Northeast’s security problems mix leftover insurgency, ethnic conflict, drugs, migration and Myanmar-China borders. The 2020 Bodo Accord and 2021 Karbi Accord were the big Assam settlements of the decade. The 2015 Naga framework agreement is still not a final peace. The 2020 Bru-Reang deal and 2023 UNLF pact sit beside Manipur’s 2023 ethnic violence. Assam’s border agreements with Meghalaya and Arunachal tried to quiet inter-State maps.
Model answer
Introduction
The Northeast is eight States and many nations of memory. Peace is not one ceasefire. It is a stack of accords on a difficult map: hills, a chicken’s neck, a long Myanmar and Bangladesh edge, and China on Arunachal’s horizon. The last decade added signed papers. It also added Manipur’s 2023 wound, which no accord had prepared the country to watch.
Body
Challenges to security and peace
Insurgent remnants (NSCN factions, ULFA-I, some Manipur groups) still tax and bomb even as the map of violence has shrunk since the 1990s. Ethnic conflict — Bodo history, Bru displacement, and Meitei–Kuki-Zo violence in Manipur from 2023 — can explode faster than a peace table. Drugs and arms ride the Golden Triangle into Mizoram and Manipur. Illegal migration and identity laws (Assam NRC politics, Inner Line) keep a permanent anxiety. Governance: AFSPA’s thinning is real in some districts and still present in others. Connectivity is better (roads, rail to Agartala, waterways) but jobs for educated youth lag. Myanmar’s post-2021 war spills refugees and weapons. China is a military and a narrative pressure on Arunachal.
Peace processes fail when an accord is a photo with one armed group while a rival faction and a valley community are left out.
Accords of the past decade, as a map
- Read the map west to east. Assam: the Bodo Peace Accord, January 2020, with NDFB factions, creating a stronger Bodoland Territorial Region; Karbi Anglong Agreement, September 2021; Adivasi and other smaller settlements; Assam–Meghalaya border pact, 2022; Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border settlement, 2023. Nagaland / Naga talks: the Framework Agreement with NSCN-IM, 2015, still without a final public settlement; other Naga groups signed a 2017 agreeds-on-talks track — the unfinished core of the hills. Tripura: NLFT-related surrenders and talks in the late 2010s–2020s. Mizoram–Tripura–Cachar: the Bru-Reang agreement, January 2020, to settle Bru families in Tripura. Manipur: UNLF (P. A. Meitei) peace pact, 2023, a valley-group ceasefire that did not stop the hill–valley clash the same year. Meghalaya and Arunachal have seen surrender ceremonies more than grand accords.
- The map’s lesson: paper in Kokrajhar and Diphu, open file in Kohima, fire in Imphal valley and hills. A peace process is only as wide as the communities it seats.
Flow diagram
flowchart TB
subgraph west [Assam belt]
BO[Bodo Accord 2020]
KA[Karbi Accord 2021]
BR[Assam-Meghalaya 2022]
AR[Assam-Arunachal 2023]
end
subgraph hills [Naga hills]
NG[NSCN-IM Framework 2015 unfinished]
end
subgraph south [Tripura Mizoram Manipur]
BU[Bru-Reang 2020]
UN[UNLF 2023]
MN[Manipur ethnic crisis 2023]
end
BO --- KA
KA --- NG
BU --- UN
Conclusion
Internal security in the Northeast is insurgency plus ethnicity plus a hard border. The decade’s accords — Bodo, Karbi, Bru, Assam’s border deals, UNLF — shrank some guns. Naga talks and Manipur’s 2023 violence show the map is not finished.
Quick related
Students also ask
-
Why is maritime security vital to protect India's sea trade? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward.
Next question in the 2025 paper (Q20). View answer →
-
Did AFSPA end in the Northeast?
It has been lifted or reduced in several districts over the 2020s. It remains in some still-notified areas.
-
Is a border fence the peace process?
A fence is a tool against some crossings. Peace is who sits in a council and who has a job.
PYQ trend
When UPSC asked this
Related PYQs from other years, newest first. Open a question to read it.
-
2025 · Q10 · GS III · 10 marks
The Government of India recently stated that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be eliminated by 2026. What do you understand by LWE and how are the people affected by it? What measures have been taken by the government to eliminate LWE? -
2023 · Q19 · GS III · 15 marks
What are the internal security challenges being faced by India? Give out the role of Central Intelligence and Investigative Agencies tasked to counter such threats. -
2023 · Q20 · GS III · 15 marks
Give out the major sources of terror funding in India and efforts being made to curtail these sources. In the light of this, also discuss the aim and objective of the ' No Money for Terror [NMFT]' Conference recently held at New Delhi in November 2022. -
2022 · Q20 · GS III · 15 marks
Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues gest a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism. -
2019 · Q9 · GS III · 10 marks
The banning of 'Jammat-e-Islami' in Jammu and Kashmir brought into focus the role of over-ground workers (OGWs) in assisting terrorist organizations. Examine the role played by OGWs in assisting terrorist organizations in insurgency affected areas. Discuss measures to neutralize influence of OGWs. -
2018 · Q10 · GS III · 10 marks
Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is showing a downward trend, but still affects many parts of the country. Briefly explain the Government of India's approach to counter the challenges posed by LWE. (150 Words, 10 Marks). -
2017 · Q10 · GS III · 10 marks
The north-eastern region of India has been infested with insurgency for a very long time. Analyze the major reasons for the survival of armed insurgency in this region. -
2016 · Q17 · GS III · 12 marks
The terms 'Hot Pursuit' and 'Surgical Strikes' are often used in connection with armed action against terrorist attacks. Discuss the strategic impact of such actions.
More from this paper
Q1 · UPSC Mains 2025 · GS III · 10 marks
Distinguish between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) with special reference to India. Why is the IHDI considered a better indicator of inclusive growth?
Inclusive Growth
HDI combines life expectancy, education and GNI per capita into one average. India’s recent HDI is in the medium band, around 0.64, with a rank still in the 130s. IHDI reduces that score for inequality; India has often lost about thirty per cent of HDI to uneven shares. Inclusive growth needs the extra income and services to reach the bottom, which HDI alone can hide. IHDI is therefore the better national test, alongside the multidimensional poverty index.
Q2 · UPSC Mains 2025 · GS III · 10 marks
What are the challenges before the Indian economy when the world is moving away from free trade and multilateralism to protectionism and bilateralism? How can these challenges be met?
Indian Economy
The world is shifting from a single WTO bargain toward tariffs, subsidies, friend-shoring and carbon border taxes. India’s risks are weaker Western demand, costly Chinese intermediates, technology denial and rupee shocks. Goods exports in textiles, engineering and chemicals are exposed. Responses include wider FTAs, PLI with quality, destination diversification, forex buffers and a defence of WTO rules. A large domestic market is India’s shock absorber, not a reason to close the border entirely.
Q3 · UPSC Mains 2025 · GS III · 10 marks
Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India.
Crops, Irrigation and Marketing
High-value crops are horticulture, spices, flowers and similar bets that can earn more than grain. Farmers weigh expected price and a real buyer against water, labour, credit and the chance of a price crash. MSP rice and wheat remain the safer default where they exist. Horticulture tonnage in India has already overtaken foodgrain, which shows the shift is underway. Policy must cut risk with storage, processing and insurance, not only cheer diversification.
Toppers' copies
Toppers' copies for this question will be uploaded soon.