Western Zonal Council is one of the five zonal councils set up under the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 and comprises the states of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
Contribution of Western Region
- It contributes 25% to India’s GDP, falling only behind the Southern region which contributes around 30%.
- Northern, Central and Eastern Region accounts for around 18.5%, 13.6% and 12.5% respectively to India’s GDP, highlighting regional disparity.
- It accounts for more than half of India’s trade with the world and acts as a gateway to Northern and Central regions for global trade.
Factors responsible for Regional Disparity
- Historical: British policies favoured resource-rich areas (like Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai).
- Geographical: Uneven growth due to availability of resources like ports, raw materials etc. in some regions while difficult terrain (e.g. Himalayan and North-Eastern states) and disaster-risk in others.
- Economic: Inadequacy of basic infrastructure like transport, power, technology etc. and dominance of primary economic activities in some states.
- Governance: Industries prefer developed states having efficient governance systems and policy continuity.
Strategies to eliminate regional disparities
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