Trends in regional disparity in human and social development in India

Abstract

Trends in regional disparity in numerous social and human development indicators, other than state income, are examined with a statistical significance test. No support was found for the impression about increasing disparity after 1980. In a very few indicators, the disparity showed an increase, whereas in a large number of indicators, it either remained the same or declined over the last two decades. The efforts of the state governments in the social sectors were perhaps a major reason for the outcome. Except education, in all the other social sub-sectors, the interstate disparity in government efforts declined markedly during the 1990s as compared to the 1980s. In education, it remained the same. The explicit objective of reducing regional disparity in social and human development in Central planning may not be specially required in view of the findings of this article. The states could be empowered by augmenting their revenue resources and allowing them access to public borrowings directly so that they can handle their priority areas and local felt needs.