Regional Patterns of Deprivation in India: An Assessment Based on Household Characteristics, Basic Amenities and Asset Possession

Abstract

India remains home to 300 million people who live in extreme poverty and face multiple deprivations. Their homes lack basic services ranging from water, sanitation, electricity, health to education (Millennium Development Report, 2014). By mining the data available in the latest 2011 Census, this article attempts to provide a scheme of regionalisation on the basis of multi-dimensional deprivation of households across districts through an assessment of household dwelling characteristics, available basic amenities and assets possession. The study reveals that districts in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states perform the worst, while states located in the western and southern part of India and their districts are comparatively better off. The analysis concludes that households deprived of good housing conditions and basic amenities, facilities essential for healthy and productive manpower, tend to be asset poor.