North-East India
North-East India is the easternmost region of
India consisting of the contiguous
Seven Sister States and the state of
Sikkim. This region is officially recognized as a special category of states. The North East Council (NEC)
[North East Council] was constituted in
1971 as the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the eight states, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi)
[North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd.] was incorporated on
August 9,
1995 and the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER)
[Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region][Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region from Northeast Vigil] was set up in September 2001.
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Arunachal Pradesh#
Assam#
Manipur#
Meghalaya#
Mizoram#
Nagaland#
Sikkim#
TripuraOf these, Sikkim became an Indian protectorate in
1947 and a full state in
1975. The states border
Nepal,
Bhutan,
China,
Myanmar and
Bangladesh. However they share only a 21 km common border with the rest of India via the
Chicken's Neck. Sometimes the parts of
North Bengal to the east of
Siliguri is included in the North-East to denote a contiguous region.
The North-East has been added to political India only in recent times, though India itself was rarely unified for most of its history.
Assam (which included at the time of Indian independence,
Nagaland,
Mizoram and
Meghalaya) was rarely part of political India for most of its
history;
Manipur and
Tripura were princely states also rarely a part of political India;
Arunachal Pradesh was beyond the outer line of
British India at the beginning of the
20th century) and
Sikkim too was not part of political India. After independence in
1947, extension of the Indian state and political apparatus has been a challenge.
[Verghese, V. G. (2001) Unfinished Business in the Northeast: Pointers Towards Restructuring, Reconciliation and Resurgence, Seventh Kamal Kumari Memorial Lecture, Guwahati] The North-East got increasingly isolated.
The isolation of the Northeastern states began earlier as a result of British imperialism, when the region was cut-off from its traditional trading partners (
Bhutan,
Myanmar and
Indo-China).
[Baruah, Sanjib (2004), Between South and Southeast Asia Northeast India and Look East Policy, Ceniseas Paper 4, Guwahati] In
1947 Indian independence and partition made this a landlocked region. Soon it became a captive market for mainstream India.
[Khanna, Sushil: (2005) Economic opportunities or continuing stagnation Seminar, June 2005. ] Ethnically, the Northeast has a large
Mongoloid population, with cultures and populations that are different from mainstream India.
[Cordaux, Richard et al, (2004) The Northeast Indian Passageway: A Barrier or Corridor for Human Migrations?, Mol. Biol. Evol. 21(8):1525-1533.] The northeastern states with just 25 out of a total of 543 seats in the
Lok Sabha are politically insignificant in Delhi. This has kept the Northeast politically and culturally apart from the rest of India. Religion is also distinctive, as, along with
Kerala, this is the primary stronghold of
Christianity in India. Due to these factors there is discontent and demands for independence are being raised by the
Nagas,
ULFA, and
Bodos. Soon after Indo-China War of 1962 and especially after the rise of insurgency in the region, security influence on policies has increased.
[Sanjib Baruah (2001) ''Generals as Governors: The parallel political system of Northeast India, Himal Magazine, June 2001] The region is known for its unique culture, handicrafts, martial arts, and scenic beauty. Problems include insurgency, unemployment, drug addiction, and lack of infrastructure. Since the beginning of the economic liberalization in the
1990s, studies have shown that this region is lagging behind the others in terms of development.
*
Insurgent groups in Northeast India*
North India*
South India*
East India*
West India*
Northeast Vigil - the largest and oldest information repository of information on the Northeast*
Northeast Factfinder - Northeast Factfinder*
Arts of the tribal groups in the Northeast*
DiscoverNE.com - The Travel Portal of North East India
