BENGALURU: The quality of life in Karnataka has improved significantly in the last five years as more people now have better access to cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water and electricity. But in some other parameters, including nutrition and maternal health, Karnataka is behind all other southern states.
While Karnataka has done much better than many states in North India and has only slightly underperformed in comparison with its Southern neighbours, the development within the state has not reached all parts. The National Multidimensional Poverty Index, released by the NITI Aayog recently, points to an increased gap between districts in the south and Kalyana Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka regions. Economists and experts pointed out that the anomaly is because of the policy decisions and it is man-made. Underdeveloped regions need more investment and focus, they added.Though Karnataka has improved in certain criteria over the last five years, it stands in fourth place among five Southern states.
The report has been prepared taking into consideration parameters of health, education and standard of living. There are 12 indicators considered, such as nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, maternal health, years of schooling, school attendance, access to cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets and bank accounts.
What is shocking is that Karnataka stands last in the South in terms of people deprived of nutrition. Close to 34 per cent of the population has no access to proper nutrition. A household is considered deprived if any child between the ages of 0 and 59 months, or a woman between the ages of 15 and 49 years, or a man between the ages of 15 and 54 years -- on whom the data is available -- are found to be undernourished.
The survey reveals that 12.36 per cent of new mothers have not received at least four antenatal care facilities or not received any assistance from trained or skilled medical personnel. The report states that even today, close to 22 per cent of the population in Karnataka is deprived of cooking fuel, which means that they cook using cow dung patties, agricultural residue, shrubs, wood, charcoal or coal. Though percentage wise the fuel situation has improved in the last five years, 21.9 per cent still use traditional methods of cooking, which is hazardous to their health. Also, 8.7 per cent of the population has not gone to school, which means that not even one member of a household aged 10 years or older has completed six years of schooling, the report stated.
On the divide between northern and southern districts of the state, Prof RS Deshpande, former director of the Institute for Social and Economic Change and an economist, said that one has to look at the growth poll theory, where growth is attracted to a region that has better facilities. In Karnataka, southern districts have better infrastructure and naturally, development goes towards them.
“Places like Bengaluru, Mysuru and surrounding places develop, while it is not the case with North Karnataka districts. Focus and investment should be directed towards deprived districts. Underdeveloped districts need more resources, but it is not being done. The districts that are doing good are given more funding which takes them from good to better. At the same time, underdeveloped districts still lag behind. There is a need for uniform justification,’’ he opined.
On a positive note, the report points to development in certain areas. As compared to the 2015-16 report, those deprived of school attendance has been reduced from 3.54 per cent to 2.2 per cent. There are significant changes in cooking fuel (45.54 per cent to 21.9 per cent), sanitation (43.11 per cent to 25.2 per cent) and drinking water (14.51 per cent to 6.9 per cent) in the last five years. However, the percentage of people deprived of housing has not changed much as it has gone down from 37.3 per cent to 36.4 per cent.
Maternal
health deprievd
Karnataka: 12.36%
Telangana: 10.87%
Andra: 9.66%
Tamil Nadu: 6.7 %
Kerala: 1.73%
Nutrition deprived
Karnataka: 33.56%
Telangana: 31.1%
Andra: 26.38%
Tamilnadu: 24.8%
Kerala: 15.29%