Development and Deprivation in Meghalaya
Nayak, Purusottam
20 October 2013
Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/50821/
MPRA Paper No. 50821, posted 21 Oct 2013 15:10 UTC
Purusot t am Nayak
Abstract
The present paper is an at t empt t o evaluat e t he relat ive st at us of development and deprivat ion of t he st at e of M eghalaya vis-à-vis ot her st at es in nort heast India. The first t w o sect ions of t he paper are devot ed t o an int roduct ion t o t he st at e whereas t he rest of t he sect ions deal w it h evaluation of development st at us through various socioeconomic paramet ers. The st udy reveals t hat in t erms of sex rat io t he st at e is much ahead of t he count ry and t wo of it s dist rict s are having more number of females t han t hat of males. Alt hough t he st at e is marginally ahead of t he count ry in t erms of lit eracy her relat ive posit ion in t he region is poor. How ever, it has been able t o subst ant ially reduce t he urban-rural gap in lit eracy and male-female gap in average years of schooling. In t erms of sanit at ion facilit ies it is a laggard st at e in t he region but it has achieved a t remendous success in supplying drinking w at er and elect ricit y connect ion t o urban households at t he cost of neglect ing households in rural areas. The economic backwardness of t he st at e is evident from her low per capit a income. How ever, t he st at e does not lag behind t he count ry in respect of per capit a mont hly consumpt ion expendit ure. Infant mort alit y of t he st at e is highest in t he region. Human development is quit e poor in t he st at e compared t o ot her st at es in t he region and count ry. Relat ively it is in bet t er off posit ion in t erms of povert y reduct ion.
Alt hough t here is no railway net w ork in t he st at e, road net w ork and t elephone connect ivity are sat isfact ory but t raffic congest ion is quit e high because of excess number of vehicles. The stat e is lagging behind in t erms of agricult ure and indust rial development . There is w idespread prevalence of shift ing cult ivation in t he st at e.
Introduction: M eghalaya is one of t he sm allest and predom inant ly a t ribal st at e in Nort h East India. The Khasi, Garo, and Jaint ia t ribes living in t he st at e each had t heir ow n Kingdom s, unt il t hey cam e under t he British administ rat ion in t he 19t h Cent ury. Lat er, t he Brit ish incorporat ed M eghalaya int o Assam in 1835. The st at e at t ained her full st at ehood on 21st January 1972. The st at e is surrounded in t he East and Nort h by t he st ate of Assam and in t he West and Sout h by Bangladesh. It is a hilly st rip in t he east ern part of t he count ry and about 300 km long from East t o West and 100 km w ide. It lies bet w een 850 49’ and 920 53’ East Longit ude and200 1’ and 200 5’ Nort h Lat it ude. The t ot al geographical area is about 0.7 per cent of t he t ot al area of t he count ry and 8.6 per cent area of t he Nort h East ern Region. How ever, area-wise it is t he t hird biggest st at e in t he region aft er Arunachal Pradesh and Assam . It has a rising and falling t opography.
About 37 per cent of t he t ot al area of t he st at e is forest w hich is not able for t heir biodiversit y.
M uch of t he forest is privat ely m anaged and cont rolled by t he dist rict council. The st at e governm ent cont rols only area under t he reserved forest , w hich is about 4 per cent of t he t ot al forest area. The clim atic condit ion t hough varies wit h alt it ude it is m oderat e and hum id. Wit h average annual rainfall as high as 1200 cm in som e areas, M eghalaya is t he w et t est st at e of t he count ry. The w est ern part of t he plat eau, com prising t he Garo Hills Region w it h lower elevat ions, experiences high t em perat ures for m ost of t he year. The clim at e of Khasi and Jaint ia
Hills is uniquely pleasant and bracing. The m aximum t em perat ure rarely goes beyond 28 degrees, w hereas t em perat ures during w int ers are of sub-zero degrees and com m on. The st at e get s adequat e rainfall t hroughout t he year and t he annual rainfall ranges bet w een 2000 t o 5000 m m . The st at e is a st orehouse of econom ic m inerals. The m ajor minerals t hat are present ly exploit ed are Coal, Lim est one, Clay and Sillim anit e.
M eghalaya is t he hom eland of t he t hree m ajor et hnic groups, nam ely, t he Khasi, t he Jaint ia and t he Garo. There are, how ever, ot her t ribes like t he Kochs, t he Hajongs, t he Rabhas, t he M ikirs, and ot her m inor t ribes w ho are also t he aboriginal of t he st at e. About 45 per cent of t he t ot al populat ion belong t o Khasi, 32.5 per cent Garo and t he rest 22.5 per cent are from various com m unit ies such as Bengali, Assamese, Nepali/ Gurkha, Hindi speaking, Koch, Rabha, M ikir, et c.
The Khasi and Jaint ia Hills dist rict s have a similar language but different dialect s. The Garo Hill dist rict s have very different cust om s and have a different language. Though principal languages are Khasi and Garo, English is used as t he official language in t he st at e. Since m at rilineal is pract iced by t he dom inant t ribes, t he st at us of w om en in t he st at e is considered t o be superior as com pared t o t he st at us of w om en in ot her part s of India, including t ribal elsew here.
How ever, in respect of exercise of pow ers t he st ory is different .
The st at e has a t ot al geographical area of 22,429 sq km . Originally M eghalaya had t w o dist rict s and t hree Subdivisions. As per t he lat est st at ist ics, t he st at e now has 11 dist rict s. How ever, according 2011 Census for w hich dist rict w ise dat a are available t here w ere only 7 dist rict s, 8 Sub-Divisions, 39 Com m unit y Development Blocks, 16 Tow ns and 5780 Villages. M ost of t hese adm inist rat ive unit s st art ing from villages t o dist rict s are very sm all. Villages are w idely scat t ered. The t hen seven dist rict s in t he st at e are quit e different from each ot her in various respect s. Sout h Garo Hills is t he sm allest dist rict having an area of 1887 sq km as against t he biggest dist rict , West Khasi Hills w hich has an area of 5247 sq km (Table 1).
Population: As per 2011 Census, t he st at e has a populat ion of 29.67 lakhs, w hich is about 3.0 per cent of t he t ot al populat ion of Nort h East India and 0.1 per cent of t he t ot al populat ion of t he count ry. Populat ion has been increasing at a higher rat e in t he st at e as com pared t o all India sit uat ions m ainly due t o migrat ion from different parts of t he count ry including illegal m igrat ion from Bangladesh. For an exam ple, 18,951 illegal m igrant s from Bangladesh w ere det ect ed in M eghalaya during a period of 5 years from 2008 t o Sept em ber 2013 (Shillong Tim es, Oct ., 18, 2013). During t he last five decades t he decadal grow t h of populat ion has been varying nearly from 27 per cent t o 33 per cent as against a variat ion of 18 per cent t o 25 per cent in India. Out of 29.67 lakh populat ion in t he st at e, 49.72 per cent are fem ales. About 20 per cent of t he
populat ion lives in urban areas. The st at e has a populat ion densit y of 132 persons per sq km as against 382 per sq km in t he count ry. The sex rat io of t he st at e is 982 as against 940 in t he count ry.
Seven Dist rict s in M eghalaya are different from each ot her in various respect s (Table 1).
Populat ion-w ise Sout h Garo Hills is t he sm allest dist rict in t he st at e having a t ot al populat ion of only 1.42 lakhs as against t he biggest dist rict , East Khasi Hills, w hich has 8.26 lakhs of populat ion. Sim ilarly, w hen t he st at e has a densit y of populat ion of 132 persons per sq km , t he highest and low est densit y of populat ion are observed in t he dist rict s of East Khasi Hills and Sout h Garo Hills respect ively. Decadal grow t h of populat ion has been observed t o be highest in Sout h Garo Hills (40.95%) as against t he low est variation in West Garo Hills (24.09%). Sex rat io also varies from t he low est figure of 945 in Sout h Garo Hills t o t he highest figure of 1013 in Jaint ia Hills.
When w e com pare t he st at e of M eghalaya wit h ot her nort h east ern st at es and t he count ry as a w hole a w ide variat ion is observed in respect of area, populat ion, densit y, sex rat io and lit eracy rat e (Table 2). M eghalaya is t he t hird largest st at e in t he region in t erm s of geographical area, populat ion and densit y. In t erm s of sex rat io t he st at e is m uch ahead of t he count ry and it is one t he best st at e in t he region having sex rat io as high as 986 against 940 at t he nat ional level.
Education: Educat ion, in t he present day cont ext , is perhaps t he single m ost im port ant m eans for individuals t o im prove personal endow ment s, build capabilit y levels, overcom e const raint s and, in t he process, enlarge t heir available set of opport unit ies and choices for a sust ained im provem ent in w ell being. It is not only a m eans t o enhance hum an capit al and product ivit y but also equally im port ant t o enable t he process of acquisit ion, assimilat ion and com m unicat ion of inform at ion and know ledge, all of w hich augm ent a person’s qualit y of life. Educat ion is im port ant not m erely as m eans t o ot her ends, but it is an at t ribut e t hat is valued in it , by m ost individuals. M ore im port ant ly, it is a crit ical invasive inst rum ent for bringing about social, econom ic and polit ical inclusion and a durable int egrat ion of people, part icularly t hose excluded from t he m ainst ream of any societ y. The process of educat ion and at t ainm ent s t hereof has an im pact on all aspect s of life. It capt ures capabilit y of acquiring knowledge, com m unicat ion, and part icipat ion in comm unit y life. It alt ers an individual’s and even com m unit y’s collect ive percept ions, aspirat ions, goals as w ell as t he abilit y and t he m eans t o at t ain t hem . The level and spread of educat ion has not only been an im port ant precondit ion for sust ained econom ic grow t h but it has also played a crit ical facilit at ive role in t he dem ographic, social and political t ransit ion of t hese societ ies. Creat ion, applicat ion and adapt at ion of new t echnologies; low er
fert ilit y, infant and child m ort alit y rat es; bet t er nut rit ional, hygiene and healt h st at us of children, reproduct ive healt h and em pow erment of w om en; social m obilit y and polit ical freedom , all have visible linkages w it h educat ional at t ainm ent s of people. Thus, it is in t his regard t here is a special need for exam ining t he st at us of educat ion in M eghalaya. In t he absence of adequat e com parable st at e w ise dat a on educat ion w e have analyzed t he dat a on lit eracy and average years of schooling as proxy variables for educat ion.
As regards lit eracy, M eghalaya relat ively depict s a gloom y pict ure. Alt hough lit eracy rat e increased in t he st at e from 62.56 per cent in 2001 t o 75.48 in 2011, it s rank rem ained at 5 in t he region (Table 2). How ever, urban-rural gap in lit eracy w as subst ant ially reduced from 30.01 per cent t o 20.18 per cent during sam e period unlike in ot her st at es in t he region. East and West Khasi Hills in t he st at e are ahead of nat ional lit eracy figure. East Khasi Hills has t he highest lit eracy of 84.15 per cent as against Jaint ia Hills w hich has only 61.64 per cent . In t erm s of average years of educat ion t he st at e also lags behind t he count ry and progress over t im e is not sat isfact ory (Table 3). In cont rast , t he corresponding figures for t hree NE st at es, namely, Nagaland, M izoram and M anipur are m uch ahead of nat ional average. The gap bet w een m ale and fem ale in M eghalaya in average years of educat ion is of course m inim um in t he region.
Shelter, Sanitation, Drinking W ater and Electricity: There are t w o aspect s of qualit y of shelt er nam ely, living space and t he qualit y of const ruct ion of t he residence. The former refers t o availabilit y of num ber of room s in a residence w hereas t he lat er refers t o w het her a house is pucca or kut cha. Due t o non-availabilit y of dat a, analysis on living space of households is not done in t he present paper. The Census report provides dat a on qualit y of houses based on t he m at erial used for const ruct ion of w alls and roof separat ely. If bot h t he w alls and roof are m ade of pucca m at erial, a house is classified as pucca. If w all and roof are m ade of kut cha m at erial t he house is classified as kut cha. In all ot her cases t he house is classified as semi pucca. A w all is considered kut cha if t he m at erial used includes grass, leaves, reeds, bam boo, m ud, un-burnt brick or w ood. It is pucca w hen t he m at erial used in is burnt brick, G.I sheet s or ot her m et al sheet s, st one or cem ent concret e. Sim ilarly, a roof is considered kut cha if t he m at erial used is grass, reeds, bam boo, t hat ch, m ud, un-burnt brick or w ood. It is pucca w hen t he m at erial used includes, t iles, slat e, shingle, corrugat ed iron, zinc or ot her m et al sheet s, asbest os, cem ent sheet s, bricks, lim e and st one or RBC/ RCC concret e. Dat a reveal t hat about 12 per cent households in M eghalaya do not have pucca houses as against 8 per cent in India (Table 4). It is t he t hird best st at e in t he region aft er Sikkim and M izoram w hereas M anipur is t he w orst st at e in t erm s of having pucca houses.
A m ajorit y of India’s populat ion does not have access t o sanit at ion facilit ies in t heir dw ellings and lacks sanit at ion facilities for t he disposal of w astew at er. Apart from t he availabilit y of safe drinking w at er, lack of sanit at ion, part icularly sew age and disposal of solid w ast e including ‘night soil’ has been observed as am ong t he m ain reasons for prevailing ill healt h and m orbidit y levels in t he count ry. As per t he 2011 Census, 62.91 per cent of t he households have t oilet facilit y w it hin t he prem ises of t heir residence in M eghalaya w hereas t he corresponding figure is only 46.92 per cent in t he count ry (Table 4). Though t he progress m ade by t he st at e over t he last decade has been com m endable, relat ively it is a laggard st at e in t he region and only com parable t o t he perform ance of Arunachal Pradesh. There are significant int er-st at e variat ions in access t o t oilet facilit ies in t he region. While nearly 92 per cent of households are having sanit at ion facilit ies in M izoram , t he corresponding figure is less t han 62 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh.
As per Census of India, if a household has access t o drinking w at er supplied from a t ap or a hand pum p/ t ube w ell sit uat ed w it hin or out side t he premises, it is considered as having access t o safe drinking w at er. M illions of people in t he count ry suffer from w at er borne diseases on account of lack of access t o safe drinking w at er. It is t he poor w ho suffer from higher prevalence of disease as com pared t o t he rich. St udies undert aken in m any m et ropolit an cit ies show a higher rat e of diseases and longer durat ion per illness due t o poor qualit y of drinking w at er supply in t he slum areas. In 2008-09, as low as 60 per cent of households in M eghalaya w as having access t o safe drinking w at er in rural areas as com pared t o 84.8 per cent in India (Table 5). At least four st at es in t he nort heast w ere ahead of M eghalaya. But t he increase in percent age of households having safe drinking w at er from 1993 t o 2008-09 has been exem plary in t he st at e as com pared t o ot her st at es in t he region. If you look at t he figures for urban areas t he sit uat ion is just t he opposit e.
When 96.3 per cent of households in M eghalaya had access t o safe drinking w at er in urban areas t he corresponding figures for t he count ry w as only 91.8 per cent . There w as also w ide variat ion in achievem ent s across t he st at es in t he region. When Nagaland could supply drinking w at er t o only 28.3 per cent of households t he corresponding figure w as as high as 98.2 per cent in Sikkim .
Access t o elect ricit y is a basic amenit y and an index of indust rializat ion. Successive five-year plans have laid specific t arget s for ext ending t he coverage of elect ricit y t o households in India.
As per t he NSSO Report , 69.8 per cent of households in rural M eghalaya had access t o elect ricit y in t heir hom es as against 66 per cent in India (Table 6). The progress during t he period from 1993 t o 2008-09 has been also highly sat isfact ory for t he st at e as com pared t o ot her NE st at es.
There is also st at e w ise widespread variat ion in elect ricit y connect ion t o rural households in t he region. Except ing Arunachal Pradesh, all ot her st at es in t he region including M eghalaya have
done a good job in providing elect ricit y t o urban households. The rural-urban gap in access t o elect ricit y is quit e st riking. When 69.8 per cent of households had elect ricit y connect ion in t heir houses in rural areas of M eghalaya it w as as high as 99.3 per cent in urban areas. Sim ilarly at t he nat ional level m ore t han 96 per cent of t he urban households had access t o elect ricit y, w hereas only 66 per cent of t hose living in rural areas.
Income and Expenditure: Alt hough M eghalaya is predom inant ly an agricult ural econom y w it h nearly 63 per cent of her w ork force engaged in t his act ivit y, t he cont ribut ion of agricult ure t o NSDP is only 33 per cent as against 55 percent by t he t ert iary sect or. In spit e of having a vast nat ural resources and English speaking educat ed yout hs it is lagging behind in incom e generat ion. The econom ic backw ardness of t he st at e is evident from her low per capit a incom e.
When per capit a m ont hly incom e (Net St at e Dom est ic Product ) of M eghalaya w as Rs. 574.42 in 1993-94 t he corresponding figure at t he nat ional level w as Rs. 640.83 (Table 7). M eghalaya w as also lagging behind at least four st at es in t he region. The sit uat ion how ever im proved a lot over t im e. Per capit a m ont hly incom e increased from Rs. 574.42 in 1993-94 t o Rs. 1196.25 in 1999- 2000 and furt her t o Rs. 1982.75 in 2004-05. Though t he st at e is alm ost in com pet it ion wit h t he nat ion, four st at es in t he region are perform ing bet t er t han her.
Per capit a m ont hly consum pt ion expendit ure (PCM CE) is considered t o be a bet t er measure of econom ic w ell being of people t han t hat of per capit a m ont hly incom e m easure for m any obvious reasons. First ly, consum pt ion dat a allow s for sm oot hening of incom e fluct uat ions. This is im port ant w hen an overw helm ing proport ion of t he w orkforce is engaged in t he agricult ure sect or or in t he inform al sect or, w here incom e levels m ay fluct uat e alm ost on a daily/ seasonal basis. Secondly it allow s inclusion of non-m agnet ized t ransact ions, w hich m ay have a significant w eight age in t he econom ies of poor and backw ard rural areas. Thirdly consum pt ion dat a covers, t o som e ext ent , t he influence of social and public provisioning on an individual’s availabilit y of resources and econom ic at t ainm ent s. Besides, given large-scale under-report ing of incom e dat a, use of consum pt ion dat a m ay capt ure an individual’s com m and over resources m ore accurat ely.
Keeping t hese point s in view t he per capit a m ont hly consum pt ion expendit ure dat a w ere analyzed. Alt hough M eghalaya did not w it ness substant ial im provement in per capit a m ont hly incom e over t im e, she did not lag behind India in respect of per capit a m ont hly consum pt ion expendit ure. When PCM CE increased from Rs. 390.00 in 1993-94 t o Rs. 762.26 in 2004-05 in M eghalaya, it increased from Rs. 328.10 t o Rs. 700.33 in India. Though PCM CE in M eghalaya w as bet t er t han t hat of t he nat ion she lagged behind t hree NE st at es. Nagaland w it nessed highest PCM CE as against low est in Tripura.
Personal W ellbeing and Human Development: For most individuals t he choice t o live a healt hy life— free from illness and ailm ent s and a reasonable life span, are crucial at t ribut es in t he not ion of personal w ell-being. Sim ilarly, for a societ y, a t ransit ion from high incidence of m orbidit y and m ort alit y t o a st at e w here people generally enjoy long and disease free lives is considered a desirable and valued social change. It is only nat ural, t hen, t hat indicat ors on healt h and longevit y, as w ell as indicat ors t hat variously capt ure dem ographic concerns of a societ y are im port ant const it uent s in t he fram ew ork for evaluat ing t he development process under t he hum an developm ent approach. Good health and a long life is a valued at t ainment in it self, but living a long and a healt hy life m ay not be t he only object ive in life. Yet , for m ost people, t he realizat ion of ot her goals and am bit ions w ould very m uch depend on having a reasonable life span and robust healt h. It w ould provide opport unit y t o develop abilities and use t he innat e pot ent ial in pursuit of personal goals. Being healt hy and being able t o live long also brings som e indirect benefit s t o individuals or t o t he societ y as a w hole. It enables release of resources t hat , ot herw ise, w ould be spent on t reat ment of ill healt h and ailm ent s, at least , at household level and, perhaps, also at t he level of public provisioning for som e healt h care services. In t he process, it influences dist ribut ion of resources and equit y in w ell being am ong people. Apart from t he possibilit y of deploying such resources t o m eet ot her personal needs and pursuing developm ent in ot her areas at a collect ive level, being healt hy gives a head st art t o a person’s w ell being. Individuals suffering from ill health or ailm ent s m ay have t o devot e a part of t heir resources t o m itigat e t heir suffering and only t hen m ay have well being levels t hat can be com pared w it h at t ainm ent s and w ell-being of healt hy persons. Bet t er healt h, also cont ribut es direct ly t o econom ic grow t h as it reduces product ion losses on account of illness of w orkers or, pot ent ially, also in t erm s of higher w ork product ivit y for healt hy w orkers. Thus, besides it s int rinsic value, a healt hy and long life has an inst rument al value in at t ainm ent of ot her valued goals in enhancing personal and social w ell-being. Infant m ort alit y rat e (IM R) and life expect ancy (LE) are considered t o be good indicat ors of good healt h and healt hy life. Since dat a on life expect ancy are not available for t he st at e of M eghalaya analysis on healt h is based on dat a on infant m ort alit y rat es (Table 8).
The low er t he infant m ort alit y rat e t he bet t er is t he healt h of t he individuals in t he societ y. In 1994 t he st at e had relat ively a low infant m ort alit y rat e at 47.3 per cent as com pared t o India w hich had as high as 74 per cent . But t he sit uat ion changed over t im e. Infant m ort alit y rat e in M eghalaya w ent dow n from 47.3 in 1994 t o 43 in 2004 and again w ent up t o 59 in 2009 as against a const ant reduct ion of IM R from 74 t o 58 and t hen t o 50 in India during t he sam e period. The st at e occupied t he 7t h rank in t he region as against best performing st at e M anipur
w hich had IM R as low as 16. Sim ilar t ype of sit uat ions prevailed in rural areas t oo. In cont rast t o rural areas, t here had been a const ant increase in IM R in t he urban areas of M eghalaya. In 2009 t he st at e rem ained as t he w orst perform ing st at e in t he region having 8t h rank. While urban IM R w as as high as 40 in M eghalaya, it w as as low as 11 in M anipur and 34 at t he nat ional level.
Now let us focus our at t ent ion on som e st at ist ics on hum an developm ent . HDI as a m easure of hum an of developm ent is considered t o be a bet t er m easure of development t han per capit a incom e m easure. It t akes care of t hree dim ensions of developm ent such as incom e, healt h and educat ion. The oldest dat a on hum an developm ent index for t he st at e of M eghalaya is available for t he years 1981 and 1991 in t he Nat ional Hum an Developm ent Report (NHDR) (Govt . of India, 2002). According t o NHDR, t here has been an im provem ent of HDI bot h in rural and urban areas in M eghalaya and nat ion as a w hole (Table 9). Though t he rural-urban gap in t he level of hum an developm ent cont inued t o be significant , it declined during t he period. The decline w as found t o be m ore prom inent in urban M eghalaya t han in rural M eghalaya. M eghalaya had occupied 21st rank in t he count ry in 1981 w hich w as det eriorat ed t o 24t h rank in 1991. In cont rast t o t his, t hree ot her NE st at es im proved t heir ranks and all ot hers eit her ret ained t heir ranks or det eriorat ed.
The perform ance of Nagaland in t he region w as t he best during t he period by im proving her rank from 20 t o 11. According t o t he M eghalaya Hum an Development Report , t he rank of M eghalaya w as furt her reduced t o 26 in 2005 (Govt . of M eghalaya, 2008). As regards t he value of HDI, it w as as low as 0.317 in 1981 w hich w ere m arginally im proved t o 0.365 in 1991 and furt her t o 0.585 in 2005. In cont rast t o t he poor ranking of M eghalaya at t he national level in 2005, t hree ot her NE st at es, nam ely, M izoram , Nagaland and M anipur perform ed very w ell and secured 4t h, 7t h and 11t h rank respect ively at t he nat ional level. How ever, t here w ere w ide variat ions in hum an developm ent achievem ent s across dist rict s in M eghalaya. East Khasi Hills, t he best perform er dist rict , had HDI value as high as 0.676 as against 0.396 in East Garo Hills (Govt . of M eghalaya, 2008). Anot her report on hum an developm ent t hat provides dat a for all t he NE st at es w as published by M inist ry of DONER (Govt . of India, 2011). According t o t his report , in 1993-94, only t w o NE st at es, nam ely, Nagaland and M izoram had achieved m edium level of hum an developm ent , i.e., HDI ranging from 0.5 t o 0.8 (Table 17). By 2004-05, t w o m ore st at es, M anipur and Sikkim , joined w it h t hem . The rest four st at es in t he region st ill fell in t he cat egory of low hum an development , i.e., HDI below 0.5. Part icularly Assam having a HDI value of 0.364 w as t he low est in t he region.
Poverty: Povert y is a st at e of deprivat ion. In absolut e t erm s it reflect s t he inabilit y of an individual t o sat isfy cert ain basic m inim um needs for a sust ained, healt hy and a reasonably product ive living. The proport ion of populat ion not able t o at t ain t he specified level of expendit ure is segregat ed as poor. Alt hough povert y est im at es are available for various years for t he st at e of M eghalaya t hese are not com parable because of changes brought out in t he definit ion and m easurem ent of povert y. According to Nat ional Hum an Developm ent Report , M eghalaya w as in bet t er off sit uat ion as com pared t o nat ion as a w hole in t erm s of povert y in 1983 (Govt . of India, 2002). When 38.8 per cent of people in M eghalaya w ere poor, t he corresponding figure w as as high as 44.5 per cent in India. Relat ive rank of M eghalaya det eriorat ed from 14t h position in 1983 t o 22nd posit ion in 1993-94 and furt her t o 27t h posit ion in 1999-2000. As regards rural povert y, t he sit uat ion w as no different but it w as quit e different in urban M eghalaya. Consist ent ly urban M eghalaya fared bet t er t han t hat of urban India over t im e. The lat est dat a available on povert y for t he st at e of M eghalaya is for t he year 2009-10 (Table 10). Dat a reveals t hat M eghalaya had 17.1 per cent poor people as against 29.8 per cent in t he count ry. There w ere significant variat ions in povert y figures across st at es in t he Region. In Nort h East , Sikkim had as low as 13.1 per cent poor people as against 47.1 per cent in M anipur.
Transport and Communication: There is no railw ay connect ivit y in M eghalaya. Guw ahat i, 103 km from t he capit al t ow n Shillong, is t he nearest railway st at ion connect ing t he st at e M eghalaya w it h t he rest of t he count ry. Um roi w hich is 35 km from Shillong is t he only airport in t he st at e having landing facilit y for sm aller aircraft s and is having flight connect ed w it h Kolkat a, Aizaw l and Silchar. There is also a helicopt er service connect ing Shillong t o Guw ahat i and Tura. There are four Nat ional Highw ays in t he St at e having a t ot al lengt h of 706.56 km . The public t ransport services have a sufficient ly w ide coverage linking t he im port ant places w it hin t he St at e and w it h places in neighboring st at es. The St at e had a road lengt h of 11984 km by 2011 out of w hich 59 per cent w ere surfaced.
A good road connect ivit y of habit at ions, part icularly of rural areas, w it h sub-divisional t ow ns and dist rict headquart ers, is oft en t he prim ary m eans of supplem ent ing t he public effort direct ed at providing basic healt h and educat ional services, as w ell as infrast ruct ural support for product ion, t rade and com m erce at t he village level. In m any cases, part icularly in sparsely populat ed areas and t ow ns w it h large hint erland, good road connect ivit y m ay alt oget her obviat e t he need for public provisioning of som e of t hese services in each and every village and, at t he sam e t im e; help forge durable econom ic linkages of such habit at ions w it h rest of t he econom y. Road connect ivit y is, t herefore, a useful indicat or of developm ent process and, perhaps, reaches of t he m arket as well. It is part icularly relevant in t he Indian cont ext and m ore
so in t he cont ext of M eghalaya w here over 80 per cent of t he populat ion cont inues t o live in rural areas and w here over 55 per cent of villages w ith populat ion of less t han 1000 are yet t o be connect ed by roads and virt ually t here has been no init iat ive in t his regard t o connect t hese villages by road. The Planning Com mission has been gat hering dat a on St at e level coverage of roads. The coverage of all cat egories of roads, bot h surfaced and non-surfaced including, Nat ional Highw ays, St at e Highw ays, Dist rict and rural roads has been im proving in t erm s of area as w ell as populat ion serviced, at a fast er pace in t he last decade t han during ninet ies. The road lengt h increased from 6241 km in 2004-05 t o 7072 km in 2010-11 in t he st at e as against an increase from 10587 t o 15470 in Nagaland (Table 11). Though t he increase in road lengt h is not very significant in t he st at e t here has been an alarm ing increase of num ber of vehicles from 22661 t o 48290 w hich has creat ed a lot of t raffic congest ion in t he st at e, part icularly in Shillong.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limit ed (BSNL), Airt el, Aircel, Reliance and Vodafone offer t he lat est services in t he st at e t hat t elecom m unicat ion t echnology can offer. The st at e has an ext ensive post al net w ork, w hich includes one GPO, one Head Post Office and 495 ot her Post Offices evenly dist ribut ed across t he dist rict s. They offer addit ional services like hybrid m ail services, sat ellit e m oney orders, point -t o-point speed post (courier) et c. There is one Post Office for every 3570 persons.
St at e of t he art com put er and com m unicat ion net w ork are also est ablished in all t he Dist rict Headquart ers, linking t hrough VSAT t he Dist rict Headquart ers w it h t he St at e Capit al and also w it h various st at es in t he count ry and Cent ral M inist ries at Delhi t hrough Nat ional Inform at ics Cent re (NIC). A SCPC DAM A VSAT w as inst alled in t he NIC St at e Cent re for accessing Int ernet services and Video Conferencing. Anot her SCPC VSAT w as set up in NEC, Shillong for Video Conferencing facilit ies. This enables Shillong t o be connect ed w it h t he rest of t he count ry t hrough Video Conferencing. A w ireless link (RF link) has been inst alled in t he t hree Secret ariat buildings, NIC St at e Cent re and also Nort h East ern Council. Fift een sit es RF connect ivit y w as recent ly inst alled. This enables t o ext end a Local Area Net w ork (LAN) from t he M ain Secret ariat building t o t he ot her t w o Secret ariat buildings and NEC building for accessing em ail and int ernet facilit ies. All t he Dist rict Headquart ers are providing Internet facilit ies using a direct PC VSAT.
Agriculture and Industry: M eghalaya is basically an agricult ural st at e. About 80 percent of it s populat ion depends direct ly or indirect ly on agricult ure for t heir livelihood. The t ot al cropped area in t he st at e increased by about 42 per cent during t he last t hree decades. Food grain product ion covers an area of over 60 per cent of t he t ot al cropped area. Wit h t he int roduct ion of different crops of high yielding variet ies in t he m id-sevent ies, rem arkable increase in food
grain product ion has been m ade. A m ajor breakt hrough w as achieved w hen High Yielding Variet ies of paddy such as M asuri, Pankaj IR 8 and ot her im proved variet ies series especially IR 36 w hich is suit able for Rabi season, fit t ing in t he m ult i-cropping syst em have been w idely cult ivat ed all over t he feasible areas of t he st at e. A spect acular achievem ent w as m ade w hen M egha II and I t hat are cold t olerant rice variet ies developed by t he ICAR, at Um roi near Shillong w as released in 1991-92 for t he higher alt it ude regions w here t here w as no High Yielding Rice variet ies at all earlier. Today t he st at e can claim t hat about 42 per cent area under paddy have been covered w it h HYV wit h t he average product ivit y of 2300 kg/ ha. So also is t he case w it h M aize and Wheat w here t he product ivit y have increased t rem endously wit h t he int roduct ion of HYV from 534 kg/ ha during 1971-72 t o 1218 kg/ ha of M aize and from 611 kg/ ha t o 1508 kg/ ha of Wheat .
Besides t he m ajor food crops of Rice and M aize, t he st at e is also renow ned for it s Hort icult ural crops like Orange, Lem on, Pineapple, Guava, Lit chi, Banana, Jack Fruit s and Tem perat e fruit s such as Plum , Pear, and Peach. Pot at o, Ginger, Turm eric, Black Pepper, Arecanut , Tezpat t a, Bet elvine, Short -st aple Cot t on, Jut e, M est a, M ust ard and Rapeseed et c. are som e of t he im port ant cash crops in t he St at e. Apart from t he above t he st at e has achieved signal success in t he cult ivat ion of non-t radit ional crops like Tea, Cashew nut , Oilseeds, Tom at o, and M ushroom . The pract ice of shift ing cult ivat ion is also prevalent in M eghalaya. It is a kind of forest farm ing variously t erm ed as shift ing agricult ure, slash and burn agricult ure, rot at ional bush fallow agricult ure and locally know n as Jhum. Nearly 22 per cent of t he rural farm ers in t he St at e st ill pract ice it . In order t o m eet t heir food requirement s, sust enance and for earning a livelihood, t he Jhum farm ers sow a variet y m ix of crops such as cot t on, ginger, chilli, gourds, m elon and ot her cucurbit s, veget ables, yams et c along wit h paddy. Shift ing cult ivat ion as a cycle has cropping period of 1-2 years follow ed by a fallow period of 4-5 years in t he St at e. The st eps follow ed in such cult ivat ion process, as for an exam ple in Garo Hills dist rict s, begins wit h t he sit e select ion, w hich is usually done in Novem ber-December. Cut t ing t he veget at ion m ainly during January t o M arch follow s t his. Drying and burning t he veget at ion t akes place m ainly during early M arch t o April. Dem arcat ion of plot s and const ruct ion of field houses or w at cht ow er at op t ree t oget her w it h land preparat ion is done in M arch and April t o facilit at e sow ing wit h reference t o crops and sequences during M arch-April and som e in M ay. Weeding is done t w o t o t hree t im es during April t o August . Prot ect ion of crops against pest s and w ildlife depredat ion, harvest ing and st oring of crops is done in August -Novem ber. The shift ing cult ivat ion along w it h logging and fuel-w ood-harvest ing as pract iced by t he people in t he St at e t hough accrue m any benefit s are now a cause of great concern due t o environm ent al degradat ion.
The ext ent of indust rializat ion is very low in t he st at e. There are t w o m ini indust rial est at es, one at Shillong and t he ot her at M endipat har. At William nagar, Nongst oin, Jow ai and Tura, m ini indust rial est at es are being set up. Byrnihat has been declared an Indust rial Area in order t o prom ot e indust rial developm ent in t he st at e. Ent repreneurship t raining programs are conduct ed t o encourage local yout hs t o set up t heir ow n t rades under self-em ploym ent generating program s.
Am ongst t he forest -based indust ries, M eghalaya Plywood Fact ory is one of t he biggest Plyw ood fact ories in East ern India. M eghalaya Phyt o-Chem icals Lt d. produces essent ial oils like Cit ronella Oil and arom at ic chem icals w hile M eghalaya Essent ial Oils and Chemicals Lt d. Produces Cinnam on Leaf Oil. Associat ed Beverage Co. locat ed at Byrnihat produces popular drinks like
" Gold Spot " and " Lim ca" . M eghalaya Indust rial Developm ent Corporat ion (M IDC) has signed a M em orandum of Underst anding w it h M ine Engineering of Yugoslavia and Goet ze (India) Lt d.
covering ident ificat ion of suit able processing unit in M eghalaya for st oring, processing and preservat ion of locally available fruit s and veget ables like oranges, pineapples, et c. There are t w o sm all-scale fruit preservat ions unit s run depart ment ally, locat ed at Shillong and Dainadubi.
Am ong t he ot her agro-based indust ries, The M eghalaya Jut e M anufact uring Com pany produces jut e goods. M eghalaya St eel & Concret e Product s (P) Lt d. produces st eel st ruct ures, PSC Pow er Transm ission poles and fabricat ion w orks. Shillong Surgical Cot t on Indust ries locat ed at Byrnihat produces absorbent Cot t on Wool, et c. For assem bling w at ches w it h finished product s from Hindust an M achine Tools Lt d., a unit has been funct ioning in Shillong. The t em perat e clim at e of t he st at e is conducive for set t ing up precision inst rum ent at ion and elect ronics indust ries. There is a Tant alum Capacit or Project w it h collaborat ion of Firadex (France) at t he Indust rial Area at Barapani in East Khasi Hills.
In t he sm all sect or t here are a num ber of sm all indust ries viz. bakeries, brew eries, saw mills, m et al w orks, rice and flour m ills, furnit ure m aking, iron and st eel fabricat ion, and candle m aking. In addit ion, t here are cot t age indust ries like w eaving, cot t on ginning, spice m aking, bam boo and cane w orks, t ailoring and knit t ing. There are about 5497 regist ered Sm all Scale Indust rial Unit s in t he st at e. This num ber is gradually on t he rise, providing em ploym ent opport unit ies, part icularly t o t he educat ed unem ployed yout hs in t he st at e.
In Nort h East India, M eghalaya has t he largest hydro-elect ricit y pot ent ial, second only t o Arunachal Pradesh. The NE Region possesses a hydro-elect ricit y pot ent ial of about 30,000 M W w hich is alm ost one-t hird of t he t ot al pot ent ial of the count ry. Out of t his, M eghalaya has a pot ent ial of nearly 1,200 M W. The proposed Garo Hills Therm al Project at Nangw albibra is
expect ed t o generat e an addit ional 30 M W of pow er. In t he Jaint ia Hills Dist rict sect or of t he Assam -M eghalaya border, t he Nort h East ern Elect ric Pow er Corporat ion Lim it ed has com m issioned t he Kupli Hydro-Elect ric Project wit h a capacit y of 150 M W. At present t here are five hydel pow er st at ions and one m ini hydel wit h a t ot al inst alled capacit y of 186.71 M W.
Concluding Remarks: The st udy reveals t hat in t erm s of sex rat io t he st at e is m uch ahead of t he count ry and t w o of it s dist rict s are having m ore num ber of fem ales t han t hat of m ales. Alt hough t he st at e is m arginally ahead of t he count ry in t erm s of lit eracy her relat ive posit ion in t he region is poor. How ever, it has been able t o subst ant ially reduce t he urban-rural gap in lit eracy and m ale-fem ale gap in average years of schooling. In t erm s of sanit at ion facilit ies it is a laggard st at e in t he region but it has achieved a t rem endous success in supplying drinking w at er and elect ricit y connect ion t o urban households at t he cost of neglect ing households in rural areas.
The econom ic backw ardness of t he st at e is evident from her low per capit a incom e. How ever, t he st at e does not lag behind t he count ry in respect of per capit a m ont hly consum pt ion expendit ure. Infant m ort alit y rat e in t he st at e is highest in t he region. Hum an developm ent is quit e poor in t he st at e com pared t o ot her st at es in t he region and count ry. Relat ively it is in bet t er off posit ion in t erm s of povert y reduct ion. Although t here is no railw ay net w ork in t he st at e, road net w ork and t elephone connect ivit y are sat isfact ory but t raffic congest ion is quit e high because of excess num ber of vehicles. The st at e is lagging behind in t erm s of agricult ure and indust rial development . There is w idespread prevalence of shift ing cult ivat ion in t he st at e.
References
Governm ent of India (2011 & 2001): Census of India, Office of t he Regist rar General and Census Com missioner, New Delhi: M inist ry of Hom e Affairs.
Govt . of India (2005): Household Consumpt ion Expendit ure, Nat ional Sam ple Survey Office, New Delhi: M inist ry of St at ist ics and Program m e Im plem entat ion.
Govt . of India (2011): Human Development Report of Nort h East St at es, New Delhi: M inist ry of Developm ent of Nort h East ern Region.
Govt . of India (1999-2000 t o 2008-09): St at e Domest ic Product (St at e Series), Cent ral St at ist ical Organizat ion, New Delhi: M inist ry of St at ist ics & Program m e Im plem ent at ion.
Govt . of India (2008 & 1993):Housing Condit ion and Amenit ies in India, 49t h & 65t h Round, NSSO Report Nos. 429 & 535, New Delhi: M inist ry of St at ist ics and Program m e Im plement at ion.
Govt . of India (2009): Gendering Human Development Indices, New Delhi: M inist ry of Wom en and Child Developm ent .
Govt . of M eghalaya (2008): M eghalaya Human Development Report, Shillong: M eghalaya.
Shillong Times (2013): “ M eghalaya Faces Rise in Imm igrant s” . A new s It em published on 18t h Oct ober in t he English Daily, Shillong: M eghalaya.
Table 1: District w ise Area, Population and Density and Sex Ratio in M eghalaya
Dist rict / St at e/
Count ry
Area (sq km )
Populat ion (in lakh)
Densit y (per sq
km )
Decadal Grow t h (%)
Sex Rat io
Lit eracy (%)
East Khasi Hills 2748 8.26 301 24.96 1011 84.15
West Garo Hills 3677 6.43 175 24.09 984 67.58
Jaint ia Hills 3819 3.95 103 32.10 1013 61.64
West Khasi Hills 5247 3.84 73 29.53 980 77.87
East Garo Hills 2603 3.18 122 26.87 972 73.95
Ri-Bhoi 2448 2.59 106 34.26 953 75.67
Sout h Garo Hills 1887 1.42 75 40.95 945 71.72
M eghalaya 22429 29.67 132 27.95 989 74.43
INDIA 3287240 12101.93 382 17.64 940 75.48
Source: Census of India 2011.
Table 2: State w ise Area, Population and Literacy in North East India
St at e/
Count ry
Area (Sq. Km .)
Populat ion
(lakh) Densit y Sex Rat io
Tot al Lit eracy in Urban-Rural Lit eracy Gap
2001 2011 2001 2011
Ar. Pradesh 83743 13.837 17 920 54.34 66.95 30.43 22.98
Assam 78438 312.056 398 954 63.25 73.18 25.61 18.44
M anipur 22327 25.704 115 987 69.93 79.85 12.54 08.83
M eghalaya 22429 29.669 132 986 62.56 75.48 30.01 20.18
M izoram 21081 10.972 52 975 88.80 91.58 14.86 13.79
Nagaland 16579 19.785 119 931 66.59 80.11 21.95 14.35
Sikkim 7096 6.106 86 889 68.81 82.20 17.09 09.44
Tripura 10486 36.739 350 961 73.19 87.75 19.49 08.03
INDIA 3287240 12105.696 382 940 64.83 74.04 21.18 16.07
Sources: (1) Census of India 2001 & 2011; (2) Govt . of India (2011): Human Development Report of Nort h East St at es, p.21. (lit eracy dat a)
Table 3: State w ise Average Years of Education in North East India
St at e/ Count ry 1993-94 2004-05
M ale Fem ale Tot al M ale Fem ale Tot al
Arunachal Pradesh 2.9 1.5 2.3 4.9 3.3 4.2
Assam 4.9 3.1 4.1 5.4 3.7 4.6
M anipur 7.0 4.3 5.6 7.4 5.2 6.3
M eghalaya 3.9 2.8 3.4 4.9 4.3 4.6
M izoram 6.4 5.2 5.8 7.3 6.3 6.8
Nagaland 7.4 5.1 6.4 7.9 6.3 7.1
Sikkim 4.8 3.1 4.0 4.9 3.9 4.4
Tripura 5.0 3.3 4.2 5.3 3.8 4.6
INDIA 4.6 2.5 3.6 5.7 3.6 4.7
Source: Govt . of India (2009) Gendering Human Development Indices.
Table 4: State w ise Percentage of Households having Different Types of Houses and Sanitation Facilities in North East India
St at e/ Count ry Houses in 2008-09 Sanit at ion Facilit ies
Pucca Sem i-Pucca Kut cha 2001 2011
Ar. Pradesh 62.0 17.2 20.8 47.34 61.97
Assam 75.5 22.1 2.4 59.57 64.89
M anipur 29.1 64.3 6.6 77.50 89.30
M eghalaya 88.3 11.0 0.7 40.10 62.91
M izoram 92.1 7.0 0.9 79.74 91.91
Nagaland 72.7 24.7 2.6 64.64 76.52
Sikkim 99.9 0.1 NA 59.35 87.20
Tripura 57.6 40.9 1.5 77.93 86.04
INDIA 91.7 6.2 2.1 21.92 46.92
Source: Govt . of India (2008-09)Housing Condit ion and Amenit ies in India (65t h Round, NSSO Report No. 535).
Table 5: State w ise Percentage of Households by Sources of Drinking W ater in North East India
St at e/ Count ry
Rural Urban
Tap and Tube w ell Ot hers Tap and Tube w ell Ot hers 1993 2008-09 1993 2008-09 1993 2008-09 1993 2008-09
Ar. Pradesh 70.1 91.0 29.9 9.0 100.0 91.0 0.0 9.0
Assam 55.0 71.7 45.0 28.3 83.4 77.7 16.6 22.3
M anipur 46.1 35.1 53.9 64.9 75.8 73.0 24.2 27.0
M eghalaya 27.5 60.0 72.5 40.0 35.1 96.3 64.9 3.7
M izoram 29.7 19.4 70.3 80.6 85.6 72.1 14.4 27.9
Nagaland 92.8 33.8 07.2 66.2 91.0 28.3 9.0 71.7
Sikkim 77.0 67.4 23.0 32.6 97.7 98.2 2.3 1.8
Tripura 57.0 71.1 43.0 28.9 85.1 94.3 14.9 5.7
INDIA 63.4 84.8 36.6 15.2 88.9 91.8 11.1 8.2
Source: Govt . of India (2008 & 1993) Housing Condit ion and Amenit ies in India, 65t h & 49t h Round NSSO Report Nos. 535 & 429 (July 2008 - June 2009 & Jan – June 1993).
Table 6: State w ise Percentage of Households having Electricity in North East India
St at e/ Count ry Rural Urban
1993 2008-09 1993 2008-09
Ar. Pradesh 27.3 77.9 87.3 98.5
Assam 15.6 40.2 74.0 94.6
M anipur 58.1 86.8 92.6 99.5
M eghalaya 27.2 69.8 89.8 99.3
M izoram 61.4 81.9 91.3 99.8
Nagaland 68.4 99.0 94.0 100.0
Sikkim 65.3 95.8 91.9 99.4
Tripura 30.2 66.1 83.5 95.3
INDIA 36.5 66.0 80.9 96.1
Source: Govt . of India (2008 & 1993) Housing Condit ion and Amenit ies in India, 65t h & 49t h Round NSSO Report Nos. 535 & 429 (July 2008 - June 2009 & Jan – June 1993).
Table 7: State w ise Per Capita M onthly Income and Expenditure in North East India (Figures in rupees)
St at e/ Count ry Incom e1 Consum pt ion Expendit ure2
1993-94 1999-00 2004-05 1993-94 1999-00 2004-05
Ar. Pradesh 727.75 1165.83 2272.58 343.75 672.31 798.76
Assam 476.25 1023.50 1398.50 280.42 473.42 613.67
M anipur 487.17 1105.00 1543.92 305.59 596.36 643.62
M eghalaya 574.42 1196.25 1982.75 390.00 639.13 762.26
M izoram 693.25 1370.25 2055.17 472.59 935.53 993.72
Nagaland 760.75 1175.58 1686.17 454.48 1005.99 1094.88
Sikkim 700.17 1240.83 2224.42 321.12 559.97 738.52
Tripura 461.17 1176.58 2032.83 367.43 589.50 578.91
INDIA (per capit a NNP) 640.83 1319.92 2011.92* 328.18 590.98 700.33 Source: 1.CSO, St at e Dom est ic Product , M inist ry of St at ist ics & Program m e Im plem ent at ion.
2. NSS 38t h, 50t h, 55t h & 61st Round on Household Consum pt ion Expendit ure.
* The figure pert ains t o Net Nat ional Incom e (NNI).
Table 8: State w ise Infant M ortality Rates in North East India
St at e/ Count ry IM R (Tot al) IM R (Rural) IM R (Urban)
1994 2004 2009 1994 2004 2009 1994 2004 2009
Ar. Pradesh 40.1 42.0 32.0 41.0 44.0 35.0 29.6 27.0 14.0
Assam 78.0 66.0 61.0 78.0 69.0 64.0 76.0 38.0 37.0
M anipur 23.8 13.0 16.0 24.2 11.0 18.0 22.2 17.0 11.0
M eghalaya 47.3 43.0 59.0 50.2 43.0 61.0 19.0 37.0 40.0
M izoram - 27.0 36.0 - 36.0 45.0 - 11.0 19.0
Nagaland NA 17.0 26.0 NA 17.0 27.0 NA 18.0 23.0
Sikkim 26.8 30.0 34.0 27.0 32.0 36.0 18.6 12.0 21.0
Tripura 39.1 30.0 31.0 37.8 31.0 33.0 47.7 23.0 20.0
INDIA 74.0 58.0 50.0 80.0 64.0 55.0 52.0 40.0 34.0
Source: Govt . of India (2011) Human Development Report of North East St at es, p.40.
Table 9: State w iseHuman Development Index in North East India
St at e/ Count ry
Nat ional HDR M eghalaya HDR HDR of NE St at es
HDI Rank HDI Rank HDI
1981 1991 1981 1991 2005 2005 1993-94 2004-05
Ar. Pradesh 0.242 0.328 23 29 0.617 22 0.287 0.427
Assam 0.272 0.348 26 26 0.534 29 0.239 0.364
M anipur 0.461 0.536 4 9 0.707 11 0.426 0.521
M eghalaya 0.317 0.365 21 24 0.585 26 0.335 0.455
M izoram 0.411 0.548 8 7 0.790 4 0.550 0.584
Nagaland 0.328 0.486 20 11 0.770 7 0.553 0.570
Sikkim 0.342 0.425 18 18 0.684 13 0.408 0.509
Tripura 0.287 0.389 24 22 0.608 23 0.327 0.447
INDIA 0.302 0.381 - - 0.575 - - -
Sources: (1) Govt . of India (2002) Nat ional Human Development Report;
(2) Govt . of M eghalaya (2008) M eghalaya Human Development Report; (3) Govt . of India (2011) Human Development Report of Nort h East St at es.
Table 10: State w ise Poverty in North East India, 2009-10
St at e/ Count ry Rural Urban Tot al
Ar. Pradesh 26.16 24.9 25.9
Assam 39.87 26.1 37.9
M anipur 47.42 46.4 47.1
M eghalaya 15.34 24.1 17.1
M izoram 31.12 11.5 21.1
Nagaland 19.32 25.0 20.9
Sikkim 15.51 5.0 13.1
Tripura 19.84 10.0 17.4
INDIA 33.8 20.9 29.8
Source: w w w .indiast at .com
Table 11: State w ise Transport Netw orks in M eghalaya (Lengt h of Railw ays and Roads in km )
St at e/ Count ry Railw ays Surfaced Roads No. of Vehicles
2004-05 2010-11 2004-05 2010-11 2002 2010
Ar. Pradesh 1 1 10325 14336 5272 5430
Assam 2506 2434 24366 37816 129628 245737
M anipur 1 1 6682 8140 11409 22140
M eghalaya 0 0 6241 7072 22661 48290
M izoram 2 2 3215 7001 8135 17230
Nagaland 13 13 10587 15470 58437 106946
Sikkim 0 0 1654 4119 5111 12102
Tripura 64 151 12180 14203 17036 37773
INDIA 63465 64460 1596450 2341480 6058863 13071720
Source: ht t p:/ / w w w .indiast at .com
