In turn, having a strong middle class implies that families with average incomes have the purchasing power to consume and the savings to invest. So a strong middle class is often seen as a cornerstone of a vibrant economy and, beyond that, a resilient democracy. 2 In recent years, households at the middle of the income distribution have faced a number of challenges.
•  Cluster development: To provide more focussed attention, in the NER, a Regional Resource Centre (RCC) has been set up at Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati, with 7 sub-centres in all the NE States. The RCC cater to the need of entire NER with respect to cluster development, training, mapping of clusters, advisory services etc.