E-Paper
Assembly Elections 2019| How resource-rich Jharkhand fares on social indicators
While the more urbanised eastern districts are much better off, the predominantly tribal districts in the east are trailing.
Jharkhand, which is in the midst of staggered assembly elections that began on November 30, is a state of contradictions. The predominantly tribal state, carved out of Bihar in 2000, has 40% of India’s mineral resource reserves (coal, iron ore, limestone, uranium, quartz) and yet nearly half the state’s children under five years are stunted and underweight, according to the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
Is the state, which has some of the biggest industrial facilities like Tata Steel Limited in Jamshedpur, a victim of the resource curse, wherein countries that have abundant mineral resources fare poorly in economic and social indicators?
We pulled data from eight sources to assemble 51 metrics covering five categories — demographic, economic, health, education and wealth/amenities. Two trends emerge: the eastern part of the state, comprising 17 districts and where most industrial activity takes place, is economically prosperous and has a superior social infrastructure. The western part, which has a marginal industrial presence and comprises seven districts, lags behind. Second, even within the industrialised east, tribal strongholds fare worse than urbanised districts in terms of social indicators such as health, education and poverty.
Most of Jharkhand’s mining and industrial hubs, such as Dhanbad, Bokaro and Jamshedpur, are situated along the state’s eastern borders with West Bengal and Odisha. The state’s capital city, Ranchi, is roughly centrally located, and in between Dhanbad, Bokaro and Jamshedpur. These urbanised districts, along with the other contiguous districts on the east, are observed to be much better off than the western districts adjoining Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, on most economic parameters and access to amenities. However, when it comes to social indicators such as education, health outcomes and poverty, the results are mixed. While the more urbanised eastern districts are much better off, the predominantly tribal districts in the east are trailing.
The east-west disparity is rooted in the historical patterns of development in the region, which evolved around the abundance of coal and iron found in the east. The emergence of Jamshedpur in Purbi Singhbhum in the early 20th century around Tata Steel, set the tone for development in the region, with neighbouring districts such as Ramgarh and Hazaribagh also benefiting. Post Independence, the emergence of several mining industries in Dhanbad and Bokaro has kept up the pace of development in this region. This economic disparity persists till today. Data from the 6th Economic Census (2014) reveals that nearly 92% of the mining and manufacturing enterprises are in the eastern districts.
The economic and social infrastructure established to support the industrial activity in the cities has contributed to a better quality of life in these districts. Health ministry data and NFHS-4 (2015-16) reveals that the eastern districts are much better off in terms of access to public amenities. For instance, in the eastern district of Ramgarh, a mining and industrial hub, almost 96% of the households have access to electricity, as opposed to just 52% in Garhwa on the western border. This disparity is also reflected in other amenities such as access to piped water, toilets, Liquified Petroleum Gas, as well as pucca housing. The eastern districts also have the highest concentration of the wealthiest households in the state, as reflected in the NFHS wealth index.
This hasn’t translated into better social outcomes across the eastern districts. Giridh and Pakur in the north-east had the lowest levels of institutional births in the state in 2018-19, according to data from the ministry of health and family welfare. Conversely, Lohardaga and Garhwa in the west had a higher percentage of institutional births. This is crucial in a state where the high rate of infant deaths in tribal areas has become an electoral issue. Similarly Garhwa and Chatra districts in the west had among the lowest levels of maternal mortality. Kunti, located in the east, just next to the state capital Ranchi, had the highest rate of maternal mortality.
