DisclaimerThe views <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> publication are those of <strong>the</strong> authors’ <strong>and</strong> do not necessarilyreflect those of <strong>the</strong> United Nations <strong>Development</strong> ProgrammeCopyright © UNDP 2013. All rights reserved. Published <strong>in</strong> <strong>India</strong>.Cover Photo © UNDP <strong>India</strong>1
<strong>Spatial</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Social</strong> <strong>Inequalities</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Development</strong>: <strong>India</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Global Context1. IntroductionAmitabh Kundu, P. C. Mohanan <strong>and</strong> K. VargheseThe vision of <strong>India</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g as a Giant <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> global economic scene seems to dom<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>the</strong>contemporary discussion on its growth performance, lead<strong>in</strong>g to co<strong>in</strong>age of phrases like“amaz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>India</strong>” <strong>and</strong> metamorphosis of a “slumber<strong>in</strong>g elephant” etc. The development scenariois viewed optimistically <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> global context not only <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong> pace of its growth but alsobecause of its capacity to st<strong>and</strong> out <strong>in</strong> periods of global economic crisis. The country’s seven<strong>and</strong> a half per cent growth performance dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Tenth <strong>and</strong> Eleventh Plan period aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong>projected scenario of 9 per cent growth, particularly its deceleration <strong>in</strong> 2011-12, has not dentedthis optimism. In <strong>the</strong> context of growth <strong>in</strong> employment, too, <strong>the</strong> economy has done reasonablywell, allay<strong>in</strong>g fears of jobless growth, <strong>the</strong> key concern <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> late 1990s. There seems to be,however, a shared concern that <strong>the</strong> country has not been successful <strong>in</strong> transform<strong>in</strong>g “its growth<strong>in</strong>to development”, <strong>the</strong> problem manifest<strong>in</strong>g most significantly <strong>in</strong> serious regional imbalances,rural urban disparities <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>equalities across social <strong>and</strong> religious groups. It would be importantto probe <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>se questions.The present paper beg<strong>in</strong>s with a global overview, analyz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> pattern of <strong>the</strong> loss <strong>in</strong> hum<strong>and</strong>evelopment <strong>in</strong> different countries, when comput<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>equality adjusted <strong>in</strong>dices, asproposed by UNDP (2010), by group<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> countries <strong>in</strong>to three development categories. Asimilar analysis is attempted by tak<strong>in</strong>g all <strong>the</strong> states of <strong>India</strong> as <strong>the</strong> units of analysis. This is done<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> second section which follows <strong>the</strong> present <strong>in</strong>troductory section. The next section looks at<strong>the</strong> trend of <strong>in</strong>equalities <strong>in</strong> socio-economic <strong>in</strong>dicators, primarily <strong>in</strong> terms of per capita StateDomestic Product, consumption expenditure <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dicators perta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g to education, health <strong>and</strong>access to civic amenities, based on <strong>the</strong> latest statistics at state level collected from nationalsources. Inequality across socio-religious groups <strong>and</strong> gender have been analysed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> fourthsection. The f<strong>in</strong>al section gives a summary of f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>and</strong> provides a perspective for its futuredevelopment <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> context of <strong>in</strong>equities <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> socio-economic system.2. Inequality <strong>in</strong> Dimensions of <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>in</strong> Global ContextA major anxiety <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> context of <strong>the</strong> targets set through Millennium <strong>Development</strong> Goals(MDGs) to be achieved by 2015 is that <strong>the</strong>re will be significant deficits <strong>in</strong> achievement <strong>and</strong><strong>the</strong>se will be particularly high <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g countries, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g economies.The deficits are likely to be high <strong>in</strong> terms of health <strong>and</strong> education l<strong>in</strong>ked <strong>in</strong>dicators, which canbe attributed to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>equalities <strong>in</strong> availability <strong>and</strong> access to <strong>the</strong> related facilities across states,regions, cities as also across social <strong>and</strong> religious groups. These, at <strong>the</strong> second level can beattributed to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>equality <strong>in</strong> access to basic services, particularly, safe dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g water <strong>and</strong>sanitation.2
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