North East India is very distinct entity in terms of its geography, economy, society and culture. Of the six International Borders India shares with our neighbours the North Eastern Region shares borders with all except Pakistan and it is surrounded by Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The north-east region accounts for only 9 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. Out of 365 tribal group listed by Anthropological Survey in India, 213 were found to be in Northeast India. The major ethnic groups in the region are the Nagas of Nagaland; Mizos, Lushais, Hmars of Mizoram; Meiteis, Nagas, Kukis, Chins, Zomis, Hmar of Manipur; Bodos, Deori, Kachari of Assam; Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia of etc. Tripura; Khasi, Garo, Jaintia of Meghalaya and Adi, Apatani, Nissi, Monpa etc. of Arunachal Pradesh. The so-called ‘experts’ tend to view the regions socio-political issues and insurgency as a common problem. The problem of insurgency considered to be the one of the major cause behind the underdevelopment of the region and vice versa. . The region is often considered as a landlocked state and having a closed border; is somewhat of an impediment to its growth and development However, since independence many development projects have been launched in the area till date. This paper intends to deal with the complex concept of development and seeks to explore the impact of the development projects on the indigenous people of the region in general and marginalized section in particular.
