The North-East 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. (UPSC 2017)

Armed insurgency in the North-East has endured due to a mix of geography, identity politics and governance failures, even after several accords.

• Border and terrain: The region has long, porous borders, difficult hills and forests, and a vulnerable Indo-Myanmar frontier, allowing militants to move, hide and regroup.
• Alienation and identity: The Siliguri Corridor, historical neglect, ethnic fragmentation, land disputes and fears of demographic change fuel mistrust and armed mobilisation.
• Weak state capacity: Underdevelopment, unemployment, corruption, poor connectivity and limited local administration create space for parallel authority and recruitment.
• External and criminal support: Proximity to the Golden Triangle sustains arms, drugs and extortion networks; splinter groups and cross-border sanctuaries keep violence alive.
• Security approach: Heavy-handed policing and special laws sometimes deepen alienation and help insurgent propaganda.

Thus, insurgency survives because border vulnerability, ethnic anxieties, illicit economies and weak governance reinforce one another.