Orissa, Bihar need to catch up fast

ECONOMIC SURVEY 2007-08

Giving an account of socio-economic profile of states for the first time, the Economic Survey has painted a grim picture for a large number of states on various social welfare parameters.

"There is much that still needs to be done in terms of improving the social sector and human development outcomes at the state level which highlight inter-state variation in important socio-economic indicators," the survey said, adding that as bureaucratic capacities to deliver goods and services were heavily constrained, "states must focus on excellence in these areas".

The survey has pointed out that the highest incidence of poverty is in Orissa, followed by Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Prevalence of hunger as measured in the months in which any member of the household had inadequate food was unusually high in West Bengal. Hunger is also high in Orissa, Assam and Bihar, it adds.

In terms of basic amenities, the number of households having electricity is much lower in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa.

However, a larger percentage of households have electricity in the north Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Also, the number of households having access to toilet facilities are low in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

With the central government directing its social sector and rural development programme through centrally-sponsored schemes, many states have launched their own schemes in 2007-08 to improve education, health and employment.

The survey has hinted that the responsibility for better delivery vests with states as the bulk of social and infrastructure services, barring areas like telecom, civil aviation, railways and ports, are in their domain.