North-East Frontier Agency
Also called: NEFA · Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "India's External Relations"
Meaning
The North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was the old name of the frontier region that is now Arunachal Pradesh. It became a Union territory (an area ruled directly by the Centre) in 1972 and a full state in 1987. China claimed much of NEFA. It was one of the two ends of the India-China boundary dispute. Aksai Chin in Ladakh was the other.
Example
In the 1962 war, China attacked in NEFA and pushed nearly to the plains of Assam. China then declared a ceasefire on 21 November and pulled back. India treats the McMahon Line as its border in this region.
Don't confuse with
- Aksai Chin: this is the western end of the dispute, in Ladakh. China occupied it between 1957 and 1959, built a road there and still holds it. NEFA is the eastern end.