Over the past decade, Northeast India has seen a growing wave of its youth migrating to cities like Delhi, Bangalore, and Pune. What once began as a trickle of students leaving for higher studies has now expanded into a widespread shift in search of jobs, exposure, and a better standard of living. But behind the statistics lies a deeper story—one of lost potential, fractured identities, and untapped local opportunity.
In Guwahati, 24-year-old Pratyush Deka is packing his bags for Gurgaon. A recent engineering graduate, he spent months applying for jobs across Assam with no luck. “Startups in our region are rare, and the public sector isn’t hiring enough,” he says. “The only way forward is to go out.”
This is the refrain of thousands like him. According to a 2023 report by the North Eastern Council, over 35% of youth between 20 and 30 years old have either migrated temporarily or permanently out of the region. Cities attract them not just with jobs, but also with cultural opportunities, better infrastructure, and social freedom.
But migration is not without cost. Families are broken. Local knowledge systems are weakened. Small towns lose their most dynamic population segment. And as more youth leave, regional entrepreneurship suffers a serious blow.
Sociologist and researcher Dr. Rinku Devi of Tezpur University puts it starkly: “We are losing a generation of problem-solvers. These are the very people who should be shaping Assam’s future from within.”
There are structural causes too. Limited industry, poor digital connectivity in remote areas, lack of modern colleges and professional institutes—these are all roadblocks. A young person in Dimapur or Aizawl often feels that their ambitions have no home base.
Yet, a small but determined counterwave is emerging. Take the example of 29-year-old Maya Bhutia from Sikkim, who returned after an MBA in Pune to start an eco-tourism venture in her village. “I saw value in my roots,” she says. “There’s peace, potential, and a growing market for authentic experiences.”
Similarly, initiatives like Startup Nagaland, Digital Northeast Vision 2022, and Skill India are slowly making their mark. Incubation centers in Guwahati and Imphal are nurturing homegrown ideas. Returnees are building coworking spaces, running bakeries, and launching content platforms.
To make a real dent, however, the region needs more. Policy incentives for local hiring, startup-friendly loans, better transport and net connectivity, and a cultural shift that celebrates staying back—not just moving out.
For now, the migration continues. But the seeds of reversal have been planted. The question is: will they be watered with enough vision and willpower?
