MEMORANDUMINJECTING DRUG ABUSE: GROWING CHALLENGE IN NORTH-EASTERN PART OF INDIA: AE28697TO: Ministry of North-Eastern Business Development, IndiaRE: C-Health Scenario and Reduction of risksDATE: October 19, 2013IntroductionNortheast (NE) India is connected to the rest of India by a restricted passage known as the Siliguri Corridor, squeezed between Nepal and Bangladesh (Hussain, 2011). It comprises seven sister states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The region shares more than 4,500 km of international border with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan. The region currently faces an acute problem of drug addicts who operate in groups and prefer administration by injection. The current scenario is very alarming and needs to be addressed urgently. In this article, the root causes of the problem were analyzed and three simultaneous actions were recommended as a solution. Background The terrain of Northeast India consists of low hills and forest covers 52% of the area. The mighty Brahmaputra, Meghna and other rivers and their tributaries bring out the potential of hydroelectric generation and river transport systems. The region generates less than 8% of its 63,257 MW of hydroelectric power generation potential due to lack of infrastructure, road and rail communications and industrialization (CDPS). The region is currently facing identity crises as many influential local leaders continue to fight for independence (identity crises). The long history of separatist groups in some states has reduced tourism growth and discouraged potential investors. Notably, this region has a high unemployment rate of 59.3% compared to the national average of 19.7% (Khan, 2013). P...... middle of paper ...... fucking in the Northeast. Excerpt from Astha Bharti's dialogue: http://www.asthabharati.org/Dia_July07/10. (August 20, 2013). 1241 drug deaths in Mizoram. Retrieved from Mattersindia.com/1,241-deaths-due-to-drug-abuse-in-Mizoram/11. Outlook India (June 8, 2008), Drug-related deaths come down dramatically in Mizoram, retrieved from http://outlookindia.com/Drug-abuse-deaths-come-down-dramatically-in-Mizoram/12. Tiwary, D. (November 18, 2012). Myanmar's reform fuels drug trafficking to the northeast. Retrieved from Times of India: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-18/guwahati/35186424_1_myanmar-president-thein-sein-ephedrine13. Syringe program. Retrieved from http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/public-health/healthy-living/clean-needle-syringe-program14. Supervised injection site. Retrieved from Wikipedia.org/supervise-injection-site