Factors like illiteracy, poverty affects the regional development.

Answer: Illiteracy and poverty reduce the quality of human resources and hence slow down development.

• Regional development depends not only on natural resources but also on human factors like literacy, health and income.
• Illiterate people lack skills and awareness, so they cannot use modern technology or get good jobs, and productivity stays low.
• Poverty means low income, low savings and low investment, so industries, trade and services do not grow.
• Poor and illiterate regions have high birth rate, poor health and malnutrition, which further slows development.
• Thus illiteracy and poverty create a vicious circle and lead to regional imbalance.