A state may be underdeveloped because it has few natural resources, or because its environment is not conducive to economic activity. However, there are plenty of natural-resource-poor countries that have become developed and natural-resource-rich countries that have not.
Turning to the local environment, the National Committee for the Development of Backward Areas set up by the erstwhile Planning Commission in 1978 identified six different characteristics of an area’s geography and history that would be an impediment to development:
While areas that are heavily populated by tribals may be ....
