North-East India

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The Himalayas in Sikkim

North-East India is the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, the state of Sikkim and areas of North Bengal. This region is officially recognized as a special category of states. The North East Council (NEC)^[1] 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)^[2] was incorporated on August 9, 1995 and the Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER)^[3]^[4] was set up in September 2001.

1 The states
2 Political issues
3 See also
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] The states

Of 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.

[edit] Political issues

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. These areas were incorporated into mainstream India during the British Raj when British colonial authorities annexed traditionally separate border countries into Indian territory to form a buffer between their colony and external powers (ie: Assam, Manipur and Tripura in the Northeast, and Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province in the northwest). After independence in 1947, extension of the Indian state and political apparatus has been a challenge.^[5] The North-East became 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).^[6] In 1947 Indian independence and partition made this a landlocked region, exacerbating the isolation that is being recognized lately, but not studied yet.^[7] Soon it became a captive market for mainstream India.^[8] The Northeast has a strong genetic similarity with the peoples of East Asia.^[9]. 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. Although Hindus form majority in this region, the North-east is the primary stronghold of Christianity in India. This has led to the proliferation of terrorist groups with primarily Christian cadres like the NLFT^[10], NFDB^[11] and NSCN^[12]Due to these factors there is discontent and demands for independence are being raised by the Nagas, ULFA, and Bodos. Soon after Sino-Indian War of 1962 and especially after the rise of insurgency in the region, security influence on policies has increased.^[13]

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.^[8]