ISAS Insights

Tripura, located in India' North East, remains the best governed State in the region, and one of the best in India since the 1980s. A small hilly State with a population of 3.7 million and with major ethnic cleavages, Tripura has scored remarkable records in terms of governance, growth and social inclusion. Militancy in the State has nearly dissipated. This paper seeks to answer the question: what accounts for better governance, growth and social inclusion in difficult Tripura in the age of India's reforms, and what policy lessons it holds for others regions, and beyond? The paper argues that debunking the prevalent insurgency paradigm in understanding the region is long overdue.