Sunday, October 22, 2006
Excerpts from "Disparities in national development"
From this perspective, India's five 'poorest' states, according to the Planning Commission's 1999-2000 figures, were:
- Orissa (47.15% of the population was below the poverty line in 1999-2000)
- Bihar (42. 60%)
- Madhya Pradesh (37.43%)
- Sikkim (36.55%), and
- Assam (36.09%).
There is considerable evidence to support the east-west divide theory. For instance, if we look at 1997-98 figures of per capita net state domestic product,
The lowest figures are all from states in the eastern half:
- Bihar (Rs 1,126)
- Assam (Rs 1,675)
- Orissa (Rs 1,666)
- Uttar Pradesh (Rs 1,725), and
- Meghalaya (Rs 1,804).
Accordingly, the 'very high poverty' regions of the country with a rural poverty ratio of above 60 are:
- Southern (undivided) Bihar
- South-western (undivided) Madhya Pradesh
- Southern Orissa
- Southern Uttar Pradesh
The 'high poverty' regions with a rural poverty ratio between 41 and 60 are:
- Northern and central (undivided) Bihar
- Central and eastern (undivided) Uttar Pradesh
- Himalayan and eastern West Bengal
- Coastal and northern Orissa
- Southern Rajasthan
- Hilly and western plain regions of Assam and all parts of the other north-eastern states
- Central, northern (inland) and eastern parts of Maharashtra
- Central, southern and Chhattisgarh region of (undivided) Madhya Pradesh
- Northern coastal region of Tamil Nadu
- Sikkim
- Dadra & Nagar Haveli
The report also notes:
- 'Very high poverty' regions across the country in different states have a predominantly tribal population. These regions are rocky and dry yet densely populated because of their agro-climatic conditions.
- Likewise, 'high poverty' regions of different states have a large tribal population, are thickly populated, semi-arid and have been "historically neglected".
A comprehensive estimation of district-level deprivation made recently by Bibek Debroy of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, New Delhi, and Laveesh Bhandari of Indicus Analytics in District-level Deprivation in the New Millennium (Konark Publishers, New Delhi; 2003), came up with other significant findings:
- Most highways and rail networks tend to be in areas outside the most backward districts.
- All the most backward districts lie in low-growth regions.
- The most backward districts have the lowest presence of trained personnel during deliveries.
- Districts in eastern India tend to have lower pupil-teacher ratios compared to districts in western India.
| State-wise poverty lines, number of poor and poverty ratio for the year 1999-2000 | |||||||||
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| No | States | Rural | Urban | Combined | |||||
| Number of persons* | Poverty ratio | Poverty line** | Number of persons* | Poverty ratio | Poverty line** | Number of persons* | Poverty ratio | ||
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | 58.13 | 11.05 | 262.94 | 60.88 | 26.63 | 457.40 | 119.01 | 15.77 |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | 3.80 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.18 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 3.98 | 33.47 |
| 3 | Assam | 92.17 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 2.38 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 94.55 | 36.09 |
| 4 | Bihar | 376.51 | 44.30 | 333.07 | 49.13 | 32.91 | 379.78 | 425.64 | 42.60 |
| 5 | Goa | 0.11 | 1.35 | 318.63 | 0.59 | 7.52 | 539.71 | 0.70 | 4.40 |
| 6 | Gujarat | 39.80 | 13.17 | 318.94 | 28.09 | 15.59 | 474.41 | 67.89 | 14.07 |
| 7 | Haryana | 11.94 | 8.27 | 362.81 | 5.39 | 9.99 | 420.20 | 17.34 | 8.74 |
| 8 | Himachal Pradesh | 4.84 | 7.94 | 367.45 | 0.29 | 4.63 | 420.20 | 5.12 | 7.63 |
| 9 | Jammu and Kashmir | 2.97 | 3.97 | 367.45 | 0.49 | 1.98 | 420.20 | 3.46 | 3.48 |
| 10 | Karnataka | 59.91 | 17.38 | 309.59 | 44.49 | 25.25 | 511.44 | 104.40 | 20.04 |
| 11 | Kerala | 20.97 | 9.38 | 374.79 | 20.07 | 20.27 | 477.06 | 41.04 | 12.72 |
| 12 | Madhya Pradesh | 217.32 | 37.06 | 311.34 | 81.22 | 38.44 | 481.65 | 298.54 | 37.43 |
| 13 | Maharashtra | 125.12 | 23.72 | 318.63 | 102.87 | 26.81 | 539.71 | 227.99 | 25.02 |
| 14 | Manipur | 6.53 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.66 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 7.19 | 28.54 |
| 15 | Meghalaya | 7.89 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.34 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 8.23 | 33.87 |
| 16 | Mizoram | 1.40 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.45 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 1.85 | 19.47 |
| 17 | Nagaland | 5.21 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.28 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 5.49 | 32.67 |
| 18 | Orissa | 143.69 | 48.01 | 323.92 | 25.40 | 42.83 | 473.12 | 169.09 | 47.15 |
| 19 | Punjab | 10.20 | 6.35 | 362.68 | 4.29 | 5.75 | 388.15 | 14.49 | 6.16 |
| 20 | Rajasthan | 55.06 | 13.74 | 344.03 | 26.78 | 19.85 | 465.92 | 81.83 | 15.28 |
| 21 | Sikkim | 2.00 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.04 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 2.05 | 36.55 |
| 22 | Tamil Nadu | 80.51 | 20.55 | 307.64 | 49.97 | 22.11 | 475.60 | 130.48 | 21.12 |
| 23 | Tripura | 12.53 | 40.04 | 365.43 | 0.49 | 7.47 | 343.99 | 13.02 | 34.44 |
| 24 | Uttar Pradesh | 412.01 | 31.22 | 336.88 | 117.88 | 30.89 | 416.29 | 529.89 | 31.15 |
| 25 | West Bengal | 180.11 | 31.85 | 350.17 | 33.38 | 14.86 | 409.22 | 213.49 | 27.02 |
| 26 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 0.58 | 20.55 | 307.64 | 0.24 | 22.11 | 475.60 | 0.82 | 20.99 |
| 27 | Chandigarh | 0.06 | 5.75 | 388.15 | 0.45 | 5.75 | 388.15 | 0.51 | 5.75 |
| 28 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 0.30 | 17.57 | 318.63 | 0.03 | 13.52 | 539.71 | 0.33 | 17.14 |
| 29 | Daman & Diu | 0.01 | 1.35 | 318.63 | 0.05 | 7.52 | 539.71 | 0.06 | 4.44 |
| 30 | Delhi | 0.07 | 0.40 | 362.68 | 11.42 | 9.42 | 505.45 | 11.49 | 8.23 |
| 31 | Lakshadweep | 0.03 | 9.38 | 374.79 | 0.08 | 20.27 | 477.06 | 0.11 | 15.60 |
| 32 | Pondicherry | 0.64 | 20.55 | 307.64 | 1.77 | 22.11 | 475.60 | 2.41 | 21.67 |
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| * In lakhs | |||||||||
| ** Rs monthly per capita | |||||||||
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| Source: Planning Commission, Government of India | |||||||||
