North Eastern Council Annual Plan 1988-89

Abstract

The North Eastern Region comprises the seven States of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. the region accounts for 7.7% 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.