Ethnic Relation and Development-A Case Study of Hill Valley Relationship in Manipur

This paper is a humble and earnest attempt to study and analyse some of the aspects of ethnic relation and development prevailing in the context of hill and valley people. As ethnic relation and development are two broad subjects, it becomes difficult to correlate each other. In spite of that, the paper aims at addressing certain issues and challenges concerning the prevailing ethnicity politics and ethnic relationship from historical as well as from developmental perspectives. It also aims at addressing the disparity in the hill and valley, using some selected indicators like education, agricultural development, poverty, etc. It delves on the triangular relationship of the three major groups in Manipur viz. Kukis, Nagas and Mete is in analytical perspective. Besides, it includes contemporary events which have a direct bearing on the political, socio-cultural an economic life of the people concerned.