Birth defects continue to mar Jharkhand’s development

MANISH GUPTA

Ranchi, Aug 22: Jharkhand has failed to shake off Bihar’s legacy even after 22 years of becoming a separate state. Around 40 per cent of its population are multidimensionally poor and the state is still clubbed with Bihar at the bottom on various measures.

The state, which boasts of having 40 per cent of India’s minerals, has just managed to get rid of the tag – ‘backward region of a backward state’; now that it does not have to be the producing region for the current day Bihar that did the major consumption.

Going by the reports from various organisations like NITI Aayog, RBI and CAG along with the way things have been run in the past two decades, the state that lacks any sub-national character and strong ownership seems likely to remain a laggard state for now.

A NITI Aayog report, ‘National Multidimensional Poverty Index’ released in November 2021, placed Jharkhand the second worst in the country on multidimensional poverty index. With 42.16 per cent, it was just ahead of Bihar with 51.91 per cent index.

The national multidimensional poverty index is a major departure from the way poverty has been understood based on income. It focuses on health, education and standard of living. And, 10 districts of the total 24 in the state have an index of 50 per cent or higher.

Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of bottom five states in India

As per the report, 47.99 per cent of Jharkhand’s population is deprived of nutrition and 18.32 per cent households do not have a single member who has completed six years of schooling by age 10. On both these counts, Jharkhand is near the bottom. Again, 68 per cent of the population is deprived of cooking fuel (2019-20) (second worst state) and 75 per cent households are deprived of sanitation facilities (2015-16) (worst state).

In terms of pucca housing (61.8 per cent household is deprived), drinking water (31.1 per cent deprived), electricity (18.8 per cent) and assets like radio, TV, bicycle (21.4 per cent), the tribal state is among the bottom five states in the country, the report said.

MPI of bottom five districts in Jharkhand

 Another NITI Aayog report, ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’ released in December 2021, noted that Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand were the worst performers both in terms of incremental performance as well as overall performance.

Among the 19 larger states, Jharkhand was one of the weakest performers in terms of overall performance along with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. It fell down from 14th rank in 2017-18 to 17th rank in 2018-19, the health report said.

In 2019-20, 50 per cent of the larger states either had no or less than 10 per cent district hospitals with a functional CCU. “… there was not a single DH with a functional CCU in the states of Assam, Jharkhand, Punjab and Telangana,” the report said.

In the governance and information domain, Jharkhand was the worst performing state. While eight states have covered their entire staff under an IT enabled functional HRMIS, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand are yet to establish such a system, it said.

However, Jharkhand has managed to improve on some indicators. It is among the front-runners in maternal mortality rate along with nine other states. It also climbed up from being the worst state in antenatal care in 2014-15 to the 8th position in 2019-20.

In terms of knowledge workers, a key pillar for development of a region, the India Innovation Index 2021 released by NITI Aayog last month showed Jharkhand at the bottom among Indian states and merely ahead of Mizoram and Lakshadweep.

“Jharkhand faces both infrastructural and human resource problems in crucial sectors of health and education. Quality institutions did not come up though of late some did enter the state. But recruitment issues remain,” said renowned economist Harishwar Dayal.

The recruitment of para medics and doctors in hospitals and teachers in schools and higher education has been painfully slow. The state does not have a single educational institution that has an A or A+ grade from government’s accrediting agency NAAC.

The state lacks a strong policy framework to strengthen health and education. Not to talk about recruiting quality people, even students, who can pay, leave the state after their schooling. Later, others are forced to move out for employment leading to a major brain drain. Only 1.1 per cent of females employed in Jharkhand have advanced degrees.

As per the National Statistical Office, Jharkhand’s per capita net state domestic product at current prices (base year 2011-12) was Rs 77,739 in 2019-20, just ahead of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whereas the all-India per capita NNI was Rs 1,34,186.

Further, apex auditor Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), commenting on Jharkhand government’s finances in its audit report this month, said that the increasing liabilities have amplified the issue of sustainability of the government finances.

The auditor noted that while the debt has increased from Rs 94,407 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 1,09,185 crore in 2020-21 (33.90 per cent against the medium term fiscal plan target of 32.60 per cent), the state has failed to earn any significant returns in 2020-21 on its investments made during the two-decade period since its formation. It earned 1.35 per cent returns on its investments but paid an interest rate of 6.13 per cent for it.

The report said that a huge amount of loans given by the government to entities were outstanding at the end of March 2021. And, 96 per cent of the total outstanding loans of Rs 24,177 crore is due from the state power companies. Also, the state unnecessarily took market loans when there was a large cash balance. It used borrowed funds to repay interest on loans. The State Finance Commission is inoperative in Jharkhand.

Apart from the historical reasons that may be blamed on ruling parties in old Bihar, the state suffered continuous political instability for the first 14 years since inception. It saw several President’s rule and different governments including when an independent MLA was the Chief Minister. And, each government’s prime agenda was to protect itself.

Former Chief Minister Raghubar Das was the first to complete his tenure (2014-19) but finally the incumbent BJP Chief Minister lost to a BJP rebel in his own constituency.

And, it was back to square one.

The following government of JMM’s Hemant Soren, who started his tenure with Covid-19 pandemic, is facing all kinds of allegations and probe by investigative agencies for the past one year. The threat of political instability is again haunting the state.