The eight north eastern states of India are characterized by their unique cultures, diversity of ethnic groups, rich natural resources and flora and fauna. Flanked by hills and the mighty Brahmaputra river slashing a central path from north to south, the north east is constituted by the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam and Sikkim. The NE region covers an area of 2.62 lakh sq.km and accounts for 7.9 of the total geographical area of the country. This region is land-locked with long international borders and only a chicken neck corridor connecting it with mainland India.

Due to its peculiar physical, economic and socio-cultural characteristics, the economy of the North East has a distinctive identity. Despite its rich natural endowments, this region represents one of the least developed - economically and industrially -regions of the country.

In view of being a strategically and geo-politically sensitive frontier, Government of India is emphasizing on bridging the gaps in infrastructure, communication, health, education and other integral areas of development of the region with the rest of the country.

The theme for the December issue of Yojana is North East with focus on Assam. Assam is the gateway to the North East and has a history dating back to the Vedic ages and has been known successively as Pragjyotisha and Kamrupa. Asom meaning ‘unparalled’ or its anglicized version Assam is a comparatively modern name. Demographically, Assam is the most populous state of the region and economically it is the most developed of the eight north eastern states. Yet, compared to other developed states of the country, Assam lags behind in almost all economic spheres. Insurgency and law and order problems also have had a deleterious effect on the development of the state.

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Courtesy: Yojana.gov.in