Agenda
Agenda
09:00 - 09:45 AM: State of Mizoram- Peace, Pressure and the Porous Borders
Context
Mizoram remains one of India’s most successful peace stories since the 1986 Mizoram Peace Accord, yet now faces intense pressure from the Myanmar conflict, refugee inflows, and narcotics routes across its borderlands. This session will frame the dialogue around preserving this “quiet peace” under external shocks, moving beyond a narrow focus on conflict containment to a broader conversation on resilience and cooperative security.
Guiding questions
How have refugee inflows and the Myanmar conflict changed the risk profile of Mizoram in the last 3–4 years?
What does the Centre expect from Mizoram as India’s stable borderland and potential overland gateway to Southeast Asia?
Speakers
Chief Minister / senior representative, Government of Mizoram
Nomination from Ministry of Home Affairs
Nomination from Indian Army / Assam Rifles (Mizoram sector)
Moderator: Nomination from Academia / Strategic Studies
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10:00 - 10:45 AM: Borderlands at Crossroads- Security, Kinship and Refugees
Context
Mizoram hosts tens of thousands of displaced people from Myanmar, with fresh influxes pushing the total Myanmar-origin refugee population towards 40,000 and straining local capacity. At the same time, biometric enrolment and registration have advanced rapidly but face questions of completeness and trust.
Guiding questions
How can Mizoram balance humanitarian obligations rooted in ethnic kinship with long‑term security and governance needs at the border?
What has worked or failed in refugee registration (biometrics, documentation), and how can data integrity be improved without alienating host communities?
How should state police, Assam Rifles, and civil administration share roles in camp security, intelligence, and community liaison?
Speakers
Nomination from Ministry of Home Affairs (Internal Security / Foreigners)
Nomination from Mizoram Home Department
Nomination from Assam Rifles (border management)
Representative from a humanitarian or rights organisation working with refugees
Moderator: Nomination from Academia (borderlands / migration studies)
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11:00 - 11:45 AM: Preying the Predator: Countering Narco-Trafficking, Transnational Organised Crimes, and Local Overground Networks
Context
Mizoram has become a major transit corridor for narcotics from Myanmar, with recent joint operations seizing consignments worth hundreds of crores and leading to the destruction of seized drugs along the border. The state has launched large anti-narcotics drives such as “Operation Jericho” alongside community campaigns.
Guiding questions
What are the new patterns in narco‑routes, synthetic drugs, and local facilitators along the Mizoram–Myanmar frontier?
How can inter‑agency operations between Mizoram Police, Excise & Narcotics, Assam Rifles, and central agencies be institutionalised beyond episodic drives?
What is the right mix of deterrence, asset seizures, financial investigations, and rehabilitation to undercut both supply and demand?
Speakers
Nomination from Ministry of Home Affairs (Narcotics / Internal Security)
Nomination from Mizoram Police (Anti‑Narcotics)
Nomination from Excise & Narcotics / NCB
Nomination from Assam Rifles (Counter‑Smuggling)
Moderator: Nomination from Academia / Policy Think Tank
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13:00 - 13:45 PM: Information Battles: Online Radicalisation, Cross Border Influence, and Social Cohesion
Context
National agencies have highlighted online radicalisation and AI‑driven propaganda as emerging counter‑terrorism concerns, calling for a “whole of government and whole of society” approach. Even in a largely peaceful state like Mizoram, the combination of youth unemployment, digital penetration, refugee presence, and external information campaigns creates a complex information environment.
Guiding questions
What are the plausible radicalisation vectors and influence operations relevant to Mizoram (religious, ethnic, transnational, criminal, or issue‑based)?
How can state police, cyber cells, churches, student unions, and civil society establish early‑warning mechanisms for online radicalisation?
What legal, technological, and community‑level tools are realistic for a small hill state to deploy against disinformation and extremist narratives?
Speakers
Nomination from Cyber Agencies
Nomination from Mizoram Police (Cyber Crime)
Representative from youth / student organisation
Representative from church / faith‑based body
Moderator: Nomination from Academia (media / security studies)
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14:00 - 14:45 PM: Gateway to the East: Connectivity, Trade, and Local Interests under Act East Policy
Context
Analyses have long argued that Mizoram is a natural overland gateway for India’s Act East Policy, given its relatively peaceful environment and short routes to Myanmar and beyond. Key projects like the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project road, the Zokhawthar land customs station, and the Bairabi–Sairang rail line are central to this vision.
Guiding questions
How can Mizoram leverage emerging rail and road links to create local employment, logistics hubs, and value‑addition rather than remaining a mere transit corridor?
What safeguards are needed so that connectivity does not accelerate trafficking, environmental degradation, or social disruption?
What institutional arrangements (Act East cells, cross‑border chambers, local stakeholder forums) are required to align central projects with Mizo community interests?
Speakers
Nomination from Ministry of External Affairs / Act East division
Nomination from Ministry of Road Transport & Highways or project agency (e.g., KMMTTP)
Nomination from Mizoram Industries / Commerce / Planning Department
Representative from local business / trade body
Moderator: Nomination from Academia / Policy Think Tank
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15:00 - 15:45 PM: Youth at the Frontline: Employment, Drugs and Community Leadership
Context
Mizoram is grappling with a serious drug addiction challenge, prompting the Young Mizo Association and others to launch a “war against drugs” and mobilise communities for de‑addiction and safer streets. At the same time, Territorial Army companies with local Mizo youth have been discussed as a way to tackle narco‑trafficking and provide employment.
Guiding questions
What is the real picture of youth unemployment, addiction, and petty crime in urban and rural Mizoram, and how is it evolving?
How can schools, churches, YMA, and youth bodies coordinate with the state to expand prevention, counselling, and reintegration pathways?
Are hybrid models like Mizo Territorial Army units, community policing, and youth entrepreneurship programmes viable tools for both security and livelihood?
Speakers
Nomination from School Education / Higher & Technical Education Department
Nomination from Health & Family Welfare (Mental Health / De‑addiction)
Representative from Young Mizo Association or comparable body
Youth entrepreneur / Territorial Army representative
Moderator: Nomination from Academia (sociology / public health)
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16:00 - 16:45 PM: When the Hills Move: Landslides, Climate Risk, and Critical Connectivity
Context
Mizoram has recently experienced hundreds of landslides during intense monsoon seasons, with some reports noting over 800–900 events in a single monsoon, disrupting roads and isolating districts. At the same time, strategic connectivity projects (roads, rail, and border trade routes) under Act East are ramping up.
Guiding questions
What are the lessons from the last two monsoon cycles on slope failures, urban planning in Aizawl, and rural road vulnerability?
How can climate and geotechnical risk be built into the design of upcoming projects like the Bairabi–Sairang rail line and border roads under Act East?
What joint protocols do PWD, Disaster Management, SDRF, and local communities need for pre‑monsoon preparedness and rapid restoration of lifelines?
Speakers
Nomination from Mizoram Disaster Management & Rehabilitation Department
Nomination from Public Works Department (Roads & Buildings)
Nomination from Indian Railways / RVNL involved in Bairabi–Sairang project
Geotechnical / climate risk expert
Moderator: Nomination from Academia (environment / engineering)