Counting the Hills: Assessing Development in Chittagong Hill Tracts

The Chittagong Hill Tracts is located in the southeastern part of Bangladesh bordering India’s Northeastern region and Arakan province of Myanmar (Burma). It is inhabited by various ethnic groups the most important of which are the Chakmas, the Marmas, the Tripuras and the Mros. Together, they constitute approximately one percent of the population of Bangladesh but on account of their distinct language, ethnicity, religion and social structure, they present a challenge to the integration and development effort of Bangladesh. The Parbattya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samity (PCJSS)—the Hill Tracts Peoples Solidarity Association formed in 1972 is the representative body of all the ethnic groups of the region. Very little was known about the various facets of the development process or of the obstacles to development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The signing of the Peace Accord between the Government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS in December 1997 has created a favourable atmosphere for the development of the region. This study by BRAC is one of the pioneering work to understand the development needs of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.