BENGALURU: Regional disparity plagues Karnataka in its efforts to realise the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Out of a score of 100 on the Sustainable Development Goals Index, Karnataka has scored 52 with respect to the goal of no poverty by 2030, lesser than India’s average of 54 and far lesser than Tamil Nadu, which has scored 76.
“Though Karnataka’s achievement is 52 in terms of overall performance, regional disparity across the state is so high that many of the northern Karnataka districts’ performance is very poor and at par with BIMARU states.
Though the HPCRRI (High Powered Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalance) report emphasises on the redressal of regional imbalances through a Special Development Plan, the performance still doesn’t seem to be encouraging and the state average is pulled down due to these extreme variations in the State,” read an excerpt of the report -- “SDG 2030 goals - strategies and action plan for Karnataka”, released by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday.
An analysis of the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) finds that the worst performing districts are Yadagir (23.3), Raichur (17.7), Kalaburagi (14.2), Koppal (13.7), Vijayapura (13.5), Gadag and Ballari (13.1). The MPI is calculated based on indicators of education, health and living standards. Though the state has managed to provide employment through MGNREGA to 59 per cent of poor households, the inequality across districts has remained, the report finds.
The report, published by the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring and Statistics, recommends that the proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection) must be 12.5 per cent of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) by 2022 and 2030. “Growth per se is not sufficient enough to take care of poverty. Literature in this regard indicates that trickle-down effect is not sufficient enough to uplift the people from acute poverty. Thus, emphasis on target-oriented, comprehensive anti-poverty programme becomes pertinent and monitoring any progress should be at district level and, if possible, still at lower levels,” the report recommended,
In the second SDF goal of ‘Zero hunger-end hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’, Karnataka scored 54, which is slightly better than the national average of 48, but still far lesser than states like Goa and Delhi which have scored 80 and 72, respectively. Once again, on the Hunger Index, the most-affected districts are in North Karnataka, except for Chitradurga and Davanagere. The districts categorised as alarming include Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, Gadag, Ballari and Bagalkot, while those categorised as serious include Chitradurga, Dharwad, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Bidar, Davanagere and Haveri.