Estimating the District-Level Household Deprivation of Aspirational Districts: A Comparative Assessment of Eag and Non-Eag States

Shashi Saroj, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Delhi 110067

India has ranked at 134th position in the Human Development Report, 2024. To uplift the status, in 2001, Government of India, has identified eight Empowered Action Group (EAG) states, and in 2018, 112 Aspirational District Programme (ADP). Since, household indicators are crucial for human development, hence this study aimed to analyse the household deprivation among the 112 aspirational districts, by the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states and non-EAG states. By employing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method, household deprivation index was constructed and divided into three groups, namely, low, medium, and high, Household data has been taken from the National Family Health Survey-V (2019-21). Major four dimensions were focused: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, household density, mass communication, and economic security. Results showed that among the EAG states, almost 44.51% households of the aspirational districts are highly deprived, while among non-EAG states, 33.11% households are highly deprived in the aspirational districts. Among Jharkhand (Simdega, Pashchimi Singhbhum, Gumla, Khunti, Latehar, Garhwa, Pakur, Sahibganj); Odisha (Nuapada, Koraput, Nabarangapur), and Bihar (Khagaria), Assam (Hailakandi), and Nagaland (Kiphire ) states 60% and above households are deprived. Target based intervention required among these aspirational districts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals 1, and 10 by 2030.

Keywords: Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Human Capital, Education, and Work, Population and Development, Economic Demography

See extended abstract.