Two Karnatakas: North-south divide hampers state’s economic, social development

Karnataka is a shining star of India’s growth story. The state has been at the forefront of innovation, information technology exports and economic growth.

This state contributes 8.8 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and accounts for over 40 per cent of IT exports. Karnataka also topped NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index 2021.

Also read: World’s most extreme inequality increase in India

While these numbers are impressive, a deeper analysis reveals that the economy of the state is marred by stark regional imbalances. The development has been concentrated in southern Karnataka, while its northern counterpart is mired in multidimensional poverty.

A comparison of the five best-performing districts in the Multidimensional Poverty Index 2019-20 with the worst performers on 10 socio-economic indicators reveals the glaring intra-state divide in one of the most prosperous states of the country.

A table comparing five districts of North Karnataka with five districts in South Karnataka on socio-economic indicators. Districts have been chosen based on their performance in the multidimensional poverty index 2019-20. The districts in red are the worst performers, and the green is front runners in the multidimensional poverty index 2019-20. Sources: Karnataka Human Development Report 2022, Karnataka Economic Survey 2022-23.

In 2000, the government of Karnataka formed a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of DM Nanjundappa to examine the regional imbalance in the state.

The committee gathered empirical data at the taluk level across 35 indicators of backwardness to examine taluk-wise development in the state. Based on this empirical data, the committee found 59 backward taluks in north Karnataka against 55 backward taluks in the south.

More importantly, the northern region had 26 most backward taluks as opposed to just 13 in south Karnataka. Almost two decades after the recognition and several efforts like separate development boards and special status for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region under Article 371-J, much of the deprivation is still concentrated in a few districts of north Karnataka.

In 2019-20, 47 per cent of the total poor population of the state was concentrated in five districts of north Karnataka, while the best-performing district of south combined had a minuscule 2.12 per cent poor population.

The Center for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research, Dharwad, has done extensive research on the regional disparity in Karnataka. Researchers have examined the divide based on economic and social metrics.

A study titled Regional Disparities in Karnataka: A District Level Analysis of Growth and Development (2010) compared the district-wise per capita income of the state during 1990-1991 to 2007-2008.

The state’s per-capita income increased to Rs 29,729 in 2007-08 from Rs 11,186 in 1990-91, but the rise has not been evenly distributed among the divisions, it suggested.

The per capita income of south Karnataka has been 1.3 times more than the northern parts during 1990-91 to 2007-08. Even if Bengaluru Urban district, the growth engine of the state, is excluded from the analysis, the districts in northern Karnataka lag behind the south in terms of per-capita income.

The income gap persisted in 2021-22; the per-capita of Kalaburagi district is five times less than Bengaluru and three and a half times less than Dakshina Kannada district.

A table comparing five districts of North Karnataka with five districts in South Karnataka on socio-economic indicators. Districts have been chosen based on their performance in the multidimensional poverty index 2019-20. The districts in red are the worst performers and the green are front runners in the multidimensional poverty index 2019-20. Source: National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-20.

The social sector is also marred by the north-south divide, with southern Karnataka districts outperforming their impoverished counterparts. Regional disparity is the most pressing concern for health infrastructure and health status in the state, noted a 2012 study titled Status and Infrastructure of the Health Sector in Karnataka.

Researchers calculated district-wise health infrastructure (HI) and Health Status Index (HSI) based on key parameters such as the number of hospital beds and primary healthcare centres per 10 lakh population.

Based on average scores of HII and HSI, the study found that north Karnataka stands lower than the state’s average and its southern counterpart. The structural imbalance highlighted by this study has been prevalent in recent times. It is reflected in the social indicators captured by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). 

The frontrunner districts of south Karnataka have made remarkable progress on access to improved sanitation and clean cooking fuel, while the districts of north Karnataka are struggling to provide these basic amenities to their residents.

Less than 50 per cent of households have access to improved sanitation facilities in Yadagiri, Kalaburagi and Vijayapura districts. On the contrary, almost 90 per cent of households have access to improved sanitation in districts in southern Karnataka.

The districts of the south perform subpar on gender-related indicators; still, they outperform their impoverished counterparts. On average, 41.5 per cent of women are anaemic in five districts of the south as opposed to 56 per cent in five districts of the north. Ramanagara (45.5 per cent) in the south and Raichur district (60.4 per cent) in the north have the highest incidence of anaemic women.

The north-south disparity is evident in insights from the tables. The districts in north Karnataka fall behind their southern counterparts in most of the indicators. Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada are frontrunners in Human Development Index 2022, while Raichur, Kalaburagi and Yadagiri are at the bottom of the table.

The above analysis highlights glaring intra-state disparity in the innovation hub of India. It narrates the tale of two different Karnataka wherein the districts of north Karnataka fall behind their prosperous counterpart in key development parameters.

The concentration of development in a few urban centres of the south creates excessive pressure on the region’s resources, hampering the quality of life. It also raises questions about sustainable, inclusive development in the state.

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.

The author is an alumnus of the School of Global Affairs, Ambedkar University, Delhi. He was a researcher with Indian Political Action Committee. He is interested in politics of development and social policies.  

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