Gogoi's 'developed' Assam failing badly

State among worst performers in income and removing inequality

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, March 16: A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) has shown Assam in poor light when it comes to some key developmental parameters, primarily in income and removing inequality.

In fact, the income and equality criteria brackets Assam among the worst performing states like Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir.

In 1950-51, the per capita income of Assam was Rs 50 more than the tiol average. However, presently the per capita income of the country is Rs 74,000 whereas that of Assam is Rs 46,354.

The study on comparative performance of states ranked Tamil du as the best performing state in terms of eight out of nine development parameters like economy, power, roads and health while Kerala took the second spot.

Kerala was the best performing state in income and removing inequality, health, roads and overall development.

The data relating to these parameters used in the study related to 2009-2011 and 2012-14.

Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal were the best performing states (BPS) in four each of the nine parameters while Uttar Pradesh, Harya, Kartaka, Harya, Maharashtra and Odisha scored three of the BPS criteria, the ASSOCHAM Study on States’ Emergence said.

In the crucial area of road connectivity, however, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil du and West Bengal were the BPS. But even this recognition will bring small comfort to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, as the ‘performance’ in road connectivity has been judged by also taking into consideration the Centrally-funded road projects that are being executed in Assam, including portions of the East-West Corridor and the four-laning of NH 37 and 31.

In terms of income and equality, Kerala, Telanga, Harya, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have done well.

In industrial development, Gujarat, Tamil du, Maharashtra, Kartaka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were among the BPS. In the area of ensuring health for its people, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil du, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Kartaka were the good performers.

For income equality, the ASSOCHAM study considered per capita income, base and its growth, monthly per capita consumption expenditure. For health, factors like infant mortality rate, health infrastructure and government expenditure on health development were taken into account. For industrial development, the numbers of industrial entrepreneurs memorandum and MSME entrepreneurs memorandum were used for alysis.