 "Politics and polls apart, Himachal Pradesh citizens better off than Gujarat in social index but earn little less")
By Devanik Saha With the Himachal Pradesh polls due on 9 November, 2017, and Gujarat on 14 December, 2017, there has been a raging electoral debate on development between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two primary contenders for power in each state. Since 1990, Gujarat has been governed by the BJP for the 22 years. Over the same period, Himachal Pradesh has been alternatively governed by the Congress and the BJP—15 years by the Congress and 12 by the BJP—according to Election Commission data. IndiaSpend analysed different government data and found that while Himachal Pradesh’s per capita income is almost equal to Gujarat’s, the Himalayan state is better off in six of seven social indicators we considered: Infant mortality rate (IMR), sex ratio, literacy rate among men and women, underweight prevalence among children, crime rate against women and crime rate against scheduled castes (SCs). Among 29 states, Gujarat is India’s second-most industrialised state by gross valued added, its state gross domestic product is fourth-highest in the country, and it is ranked fifth by per capita income, according to government data, IndiaSpend reported on 2 November, 2017. Source: Reserve Bank of India Note: Base year: 2011-12 (at constant prices) Despite Gujarat’s economic power—the state produces almost 7.5 percent of India’s gross domestic product—Himachal Pradesh does better on select social indicators, barring the rate of cognisable crimes (which the police can investigate without a magistrate’s order) against women. While Gujarat registered 26.3 crimes per 100,000 women, the figure was 37.4 in Himachal Pradesh, according to 2015 data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In relation to cognisable crimes against SCs, Gujarat reported 25.7 crimes per 100,000 SCs, compared to 5.5 in Himachal Pradesh, data shows. In Gujarat, 95 of 100 suspects in crimes against SCs are acquitted, IndiaSpend reported on 23 July, 2016. More than 39 percent of children in Gujarat are underweight: The national average is 36 percent (compared with 21 percent in Himachal Pradesh), according to the National Family Health Survey 2015-16, which has the latest data. Gujarat is ranked 25th among 29 states: Only ahead of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
| Himachal Pradesh Tops Gujarat On Social Indicators |
|---|
| Indicator |
| — |
| Infant Mortality Rate (Deaths per 1,000 live births) |
| Women who are literate (In %) |
| Men who are literate (In %) |
| Children under 5 years who are underweight (In %) |
| Sex Ratio (Females per 1,000 males) |
| Crime Against Women (Cases per 100,000 population) |
| Cognisable Crimes against SCs (Cases per 100,000 population) |
Source: National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (
Himachal Pradesh,
Gujarat);
National Crime Records Bureau;
Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2015
