Giving Compass' Take:

• Detailing Northeast India's successes in the fight against coronavirus, Biswanath Sinha, highlights the effectiveness of cooperation and self-governance.

• What can we learn from the generosity and selflessness of areas in Northeast India? How does this inspire you to enhance your coronavirus giving today?

• Now's the time to give and give voraciously. Discover why your contribution is so important.

The total population of Northeast India is 46 million, which is about four percent of the national population. With only about 0.26 percent 1 of the reported COVID-19 positive cases across the country, the region seems to have done well so far in containing the spread of the virus. This statistic especially stands out in the light of several reported cases of racial discrimination towards its people, who are being targeted as suspected carriers of the virus in many Indian cities.

The reasons for the lower numbers of reported cases can be attributed to a few factors:

In rural areas, each village is normally inhabited by only one tribe, and they follow the customary laws of the community. As a regular practice, for example, for a Chakhesang tribal to enter into an Angami tribe village, they have to take permission from the headman of the Angami village. This system of self-regulated isolation has helped impose physical distancing norms effectively in vast rural areas of the Northeast during this crisis.

When the people of Konsakhul, a village in the hills of Kangpokpi district of Manipur, came to know that villagers in the plains were suffering due to the shortage of vegetables, they (the Liangmai Naga community) started supplying vegetables to nine villages in the plains—Champhai (Vaiphei), Mission Veng, Leimakhong Chingmang, Kanta Sabal, Loitang Khunou, Moibung Khunou, Senjam Meitei, Chirang, and Cooperative Veng.

In a resource-poor region where the public health delivery system and medical infrastructure are not adequate, it becomes imperative for communities to take the lead in combating the pandemic by ensuring social norms are maintained. With the presence of strong social institutions, communities in Northeast India have demonstrated that, in collaboration with local government, they can play a critical role in arresting the pandemic.

Read the full article about Northeast India's successful fight against coronavirus by Biswanath Sinha at India Development Review.