ABSTRACT
The Indian Himalayan region spreads between 21°57'–37°5' N latitudes and 72°40'–97°25' E longitude covering an area about half a million square kilometres, which is 16.2 per cent of India’s total geographical area. This region is highly strategic as its entire northern area touches seven international borders, and most of the area is covered by snow-clad peaks, glaciers, rivers and the dense forest cover of mid-Himalaya. This area has tough physiographic condition and poor infrastructure causing thin and sparsely distributed human population as compared with the national figures. Indian Himalayan region constitutes 16.2 per cent of the India’s total geographical area and contributes only 3.86 per cent of the India’s total population as per the 2001 Census report. Interestingly, the growth rate in this region is much higher than the national average (Premi 2011). The percentage contribution of its population has gone up to 3.86 per cent in 2001 from 3.6 per cent in 1991 due to the higher decadal growth rate of about 25.4 per cent as compared with national average of 21.35 per cent during 1991-2001 (Rani 2010).
