Wake-up call for Karnataka as it slips in development

In the latest ‘State of the States’ Report brought out by India Today (December 6, 2021), Karnataka has bagged the 10th rank out of 20 big states in the country. For a state known to be progressive with several achievements to its credit, this presents a rather negative image. The assessment of the performance of states has been done under 12 categories: economy, infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, law & order, governance, inclusive development, entrepreneurship, tourism, environment and cleanliness.

It is particularly disturbing to see Karnataka’s performance in some sectors. Except for environment (second), and health (fourth), in all other areas, it figures below five. In governance, its position is as low as 15, in tourism 16 and in agriculture 18; worse, in inclusive development, it has hit rock bottom by securing the last position, 20.

These rankings have been arrived at based on certain parameters for each category (totally 123 parameters have been used). For instance, to assess the state of the economy, parameters used are net per capita income, percentage of population above the poverty line, consumer price index and so on. In respect of agriculture, the indicators include money spent on agriculture in the last budget compared to the total area of agriculture, percentage of area irrigated of the total cultivated land, productivity etc. In short, the assessments are based on rational criteria.

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What is disconcerting is the fact that over the last 19 years, from 2013 to 2021, Karnataka does not figure in the first five, except in 2017 when it was ranked third. The top positions are dominated by five states - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, with states like Maharashtra and Gujarat making their presence felt during some years.

Even in the category of ‘Most Improved States’, Karnataka doesn’t fare any better. In economy, it has declined from the sixth position in 2020 to the 11th in 2021 and in infrastructure, from nine to 18th. Inclusive development has shown consistently poor performance over the last four years: from 14th place in 2018 to 17th in 2019 and 18th during the last two years. What is shocking, however, is the state plummeting from the top position in 2018 to 19th in 2021 in entrepreneurship. This comes at a time when we are boasting about Bengaluru being the hub of entrepreneurs in India. It is heartening, though, to see Bihar, usually considered a backward state, emerge as the most improved big state, rising from the ninth rank the previous year.

One can be critical about the findings of a research study and raise questions about the methodology adopted or the indicators employed. Let me refer to a similar study carried out by the Public Affairs Centre.

Called the Public Affairs Index, it is a data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the sub-national level and ranks the states on three primary themes - growth, equity and sustainability which form the basis for measuring the performance of states. Each of these three is sub-divided into five sub-themes: voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality and rule of law. Linking all the themes to Sustainable Development Goals, a Composite Index is generated using 43 indicators.

Here again, although Karnataka fares a little better at seventh in the overall rankings of 18 large states, it has actually slipped from the third position in 2016 and the fourth in the subsequent four years. In 2021, while it has done relatively well in sustainability (fourth) and reasonably well in growth (fourth), it fares very poorly (16) in the category of equity. It is interesting to note that the findings of both the studies coincide with respect to the important parameter of ‘equity’ (PAC), corresponding to ‘inclusive development’ (India Today), where the state’s performance is ranked very low.

A comparative analysis of the two studies reveals some interesting facts. Kerala and Tamil Nadu rank among the best performing states over the years in both - from 2004 to 2021 in India Today rankings and from 2016 to 2021 in that of PAC. Just considering the performance of the last three years, in India Today rankings, Tamil Nadu figures continuously at the top all the three years while Kerala stands at fifth in 2019, fourth in 2020 and third in 2021.

In a somewhat similar, but slightly different assessment by PAC, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at first and second positions continuously for the last six years. The other states in the top five best performing categories include Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat (India Today), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Among the states figuring at the bottom, Bihar and UP are common in both followed by states like Assam, Odisha and Jharkhand.

A new feature that has been included this year is the Covid Response Index by PAC and the Happiness Index by India Today. The former looks at the two aspects of the Covid preparedness response and the containment response, where the southern states have emerged at the top under both categories. Interestingly, Assam with a strong performance in Covid preparedness has been ranked high while Maharashtra figures at the bottom in both. Whatever the rankings under this theme, it has been observed that India’s national response to the Covid-19 pandemic was “notable and nimble-footed” and states deserve substantial credit for the success of the country’s response.

In the happiness index, the scoring was based on the prosperity of a state along with scores from its rankings in education, health, governance, infrastructure, law and order and cleanliness. Not surprisingly, Kerala has emerged as the happiest state, followed by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Of course, there is always a subjective element in happiness and different criteria can be used in its measurement. But the first attempt at such an exercise adds a new dimension to the concept of people’s welfare.

In an era of competitive politics, it is essential to promote a competitive spirit among states in the field of development and governance. The two studies carried out by two independent organisations are the outcome of data-based research and provide rich material for evidence-based policymaking which is gaining importance.

Policymakers and administrators of Karnataka would do well to take note of the performance of the state in different categories and address the factors responsible for its deterioration or stagnation during the recent years. Special attention must be paid to matters relating to equity or inclusive development, where we lag even behind backward states like Bihar and Jharkhand.

Once a model state, Karnataka must set its goals high and devise strategies to achieve them.

(The writer is former chief secretary, Government of Karnataka)

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