Draft North Eastern Council Annual Plan 1988-89

Abstract

From Introduction: The North Eastern Region comprises the seven States of Assam, Manipur, Meqhalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, The region accounts for 1,1% of the country’s total land area and has a population of 266 lakhs (1981 census) representing 3,88% of the country’s total population, 70% of the area is hilly and 84% people live in villages. The average population density is low i.e. 104 against the all-India average of 216; the density is very low in the mountainous terrain though the plains of Assam & Tripura are thickly populated. The literacy rate in the region is above the all-India average of 36.23 (1981) except for Arunachal Pradesh (20.79) and Meghalaya (34.08 ) . The region is economically more backward than other regions in terms of key development indicators.