Regional Income Disparities in India
Regional Income Disparities in India
INTRODUCTION
Regional disparities in the level of economic growth experienced in India is a major challenge for policy makers and planners, as it produces serious threat to the socio-political harmony of the country. States have experienced different pace of economic growth, with some states showing fast progress and others languishing behind, although the national growth has been remarkable for the past two decades. Like the national planning the regional planning also has the objective of accelerating the process of social advancement of the community through the technique of economic and social planning, though it is restricted to the given area of the country. The major objective of the regional development is to remove regional disparities in respect of economic and social development and bring out the region at par with other regions of the country. It is a significant means to remove regional backwardness, meet regional aspirations and demands, make optimum and judicious use of regional resources, solve regional problems and involve local people in plan formulation and implementation. It may also help in conserving the environment and cultural heritage of a particular region.
REASONS FOR REGIONAL DISPARITIES
Disparities in economic and social development across the regions and intra-regional disparities among different segments of the society have been the major planks for adopting planning process in India since independence. Apart from massive investments in backward regions, various public policies directed at encouraging private investments in such regions have been pursued during the first three decades of planned development. While efforts to reduce regional disparities were not lacking, achievements were not often commensurate with these efforts. Considerable level of regional disparities remained at the end of the Seventies. The accelerated economic growth since the early Eighties appears to have
INTRODUCTION
Regional disparities in the level of economic growth experienced in India is a major challenge for policy makers and planners, as it produces serious threat to the socio-political harmony of the country. States have experienced different pace of economic growth, with some states showing fast progress and others languishing behind, although the national growth has been remarkable for the past two decades. Like the national planning the regional planning also has the objective of accelerating the process of social advancement of the community through the technique of economic and social planning, though it is restricted to the given area of the country. The major objective of the regional development is to remove regional disparities in respect of economic and social development and bring out the region at par with other regions of the country. It is a significant means to remove regional backwardness, meet regional aspirations and demands, make optimum and judicious use of regional resources, solve regional problems and involve local people in plan formulation and implementation. It may also help in conserving the environment and cultural heritage of a particular region.
REASONS FOR REGIONAL DISPARITIES
Disparities in economic and social development across the regions and intra-regional disparities among different segments of the society have been the major planks for adopting planning process in India since independence. Apart from massive investments in backward regions, various public policies directed at encouraging private investments in such regions have been pursued during the first three decades of planned development. While efforts to reduce regional disparities were not lacking, achievements were not often commensurate with these efforts. Considerable level of regional disparities remained at the end of the Seventies. The accelerated economic growth since the early Eighties appears to have