New Delhi: Gujarat, a high economic growth model recently applauded in a US Congressional report, figures the worst in terms of overall hunger and malnutrition in the country.
Among the industrial states, Gujarat has very high incidence of malnutrition among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women, says `India Human Development Report 2011` brought out by Institute of Applied Manpower Research of the Planning Commission. Gujarat also comes one notch down in the Human Development Index (HDI), at the 11th position among various states in the country in 2007-08, against the 10th spot in 1999-2000.
It has now been pipped by Jammu and Kashmir, which was earlier holding the 11th spot on the HDI in 1999-2000.
The score of Gujarat on the Human Development Index has, however, improved to 0.527 in 2007-08, from 0.466 in 1999-2000. Gujarat HDI, however, is above the national average of 0.467 as per the report of 2007-08. The performance of Gujarat on the HDI is lower as compared to many smaller states like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East (excluding Assam).
Taking a dig at the Gujarat model, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who released the country`s Report said, "On nutrition, I am puzzled as to why a high rate of malnutrition continues to persist even in pockets of high economic growth."
PTI