Spatial and Social Inequalities in Human Development: India in the ...

earnings than a male in a similar job is high. The households below poverty line have higherfemale male ratio compared to the average households, both in urban and rural areas.Understandably, poverty among women is much higher than among men, even if one choosesto ignore the gender differences in consumption within the household.The high inequality in IMR across the states and its increasing trend over time should be amatter of serious policy concern. The inequalities in the provision of water and toilets acrossthe states too have gone up in recent years. While the absence of basic amenities, particularlytoilets, have a strong association with health facilities and both are negatively related to percapita income, one would argue that growth process will not address the problems of humandevelopment in less developed states that are not growing rapidly. Unless there are specificpolicies and interventions to address the issue of delivery of basic amenities and tacking theproblem of health in backward regions and for the poor and vulnerable social groups, it wouldbe impossible to achieve the concerned MDG targets even at the national levels.41