India needs to bring about a sense of "emotional integration" with the Northeast so that the people of the region do not feel alienated from the mainstream, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Monday.The development of the Northeast was a prerequisite for the overall development of the nation, she said here at the inaugural event of the 17th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference."A transparent and accountable parliament is the very foundation for ensuring a robust and equitable growth of the nation while keeping the essence of democracy intact," she said.Women in the Northeast are more empowered than those in other parts of the country, she observed."Women from the region are more empowered than their counterparts in other parts of the country and personalities like Mary Kom, Dipa Karmakar and Hima Das are the true embodiments of an enabling environment," she said.She also presided over the launch of the Northeast chapter of the Speaker's Research Initiative (SRI) at Assam Administrative Staff College here.Mahajan said that platforms such as the SRI would provide an opportunity to legislators and policy makers of the Northeast to find acceptable solutions to vexed issues such as insurgency and take the region on a path of rapid development.Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that an effective parliament was a must for keeping a check on governments and ensuring transparency while promoting good governance.Sonowal expressed optimism that the common platform of SRI would help the policymakers of the region take a holistic view of the issues confronting the region.