Development and Deprivation in Meghalaya

The present paper is an attempt to evaluate the relative status of development and deprivation of the state of Meghalaya vis-à-vis other states in northeast India. The first two sections of the paper are devoted to an introduction to the state whereas the rest of the sections deal with evaluation of development status through various socioeconomic parameters. The study reveals that in terms of sex ratio the state is much ahead of the country and two of its districts are having more number of females than that of males. Although the state is marginally ahead of the country in terms of literacy her relative position in the region is poor. However, it has been able to substantially reduce the urban-rural gap in literacy and male-female gap in average years of schooling. In terms of sanitation facilities it is a laggard state in the region but it has achieved a tremendous success in supplying drinking water and electricity connection to urban households at the cost of neglecting households in rural areas. The economic backwardness of the state is evident from her low per capita income. However, the state does not lag behind the country in respect of per capita monthly consumption expenditure. Infant mortality of the state is highest in the region. Human development is quite poor in the state compared to other states in the region and country. Relatively it is in better off position in terms of poverty reduction. Although there is no railway network in the state, road network and telephone connectivity are satisfactory but traffic congestion is quite high because of excess number of vehicles. The state is lagging behind in terms of agriculture and industrial development. There is widespread prevalence of shifting cultivation in the state.