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Multidimensional Deprivation in Rural India
The paper investigates the spatial pattern of multidimensional deprivation in rural areas by developing a multidimensional deprivation index and examining its relationships with the poverty ratio and per capita income across the states in India. The analysis reveals that the states located in the central part of the country suffer a greater degree of deprivation. It further demonstrates that, with some exceptions, the MDI has a strong and positive correlation with the poverty ratio while it is inversely related with the per capita income in most of the states. The findings, therefore, draw attention towards the need for targeted spatial interventions, within the social sector policies, to overcome the persistent regional disparities at the subnational level.
The authors are thankful to the Indian Council of Social Science Research for the funding received to carry forward the paper which is a part of the ICSSR major research project with F No: 02/80/2021-22/ICSSR/MJ/RP titled “Covid-19 Pandemic, Reverse Migration, Vulnerability and Employment Potential.”
Deprivation is a multifaceted concept that has gained popularity across a wide range of social science disciplines. It refers to the situation in which a system, community, or region lacks the fundamental needs of a society (Sarkar et al 2014), thereby preventing people from attaining a basic standard of living. When a region has a high demand but low supply of basic necessities, it is considered as a deprived region (Pampalon et al 2000).
The approach towards deprivation is closely associated with the concept of poverty, in a more intuitive way, than just income or consumption measures. Deprivation indicators are better suited to measure the “persistence” of ill-being and helps examine exclusion more broadly. There are two ways to analyse deprivation. The first includes a qualitative analysis and is related to the socio-psychological condition. The second is more useful and includes elements that are connected to social and economic conditions (Basu and Das 2020). The common first step in illustrating social or economic inequality is to consider the variation in deficiency across geographic areas or societal groups. By examining the patterns of deficiency in the subregions, the susceptibility of the development process can be spatially explained (Sarkar et al 2014).
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