This report constructs a Rural Multidimensional Deprivation Index (RDI) for measuring deprivation in Jharkhand. An important feature of the index is that it is constructed using indicators on provisioning of basic infrastructural amenities at the village level. This is different from the usual poverty indices that are composed of financial indicators such as income or consumption; or indicators measuring development outcomes such as educational or nutritional levels. Observing the provisioning of basic infrastructural amenities, this report makes focused policy suggestions that can be easily implemented by functionaries working on the ground. The data for the index is sourced from the Mission Antyodaya Survey, which was carried out in 2019 at the village level across the country. The survey collects data related to provisioning and outcome of basic amenities in villages, along with demographic and socioeconomic variables. Because this is a periodic survey, it enables us to track the developmental progress of each village, district, state and the country over time. In total, there are about 182 variables that were captured in the 2019 round. The survey covers 31,175 out of 32,620 villages in Jharkhand, which is 95.6 percent of the total number of villages in the state; and 6,48,358 out of 6,67,933 villages in India, or 97.1 percent of the villages in the country.

Editors

Prasanna S, Sandhya Krishnan, Sanket Gharat, Puja Guha, Amalendu Jyotishi, Neeraj Hatekar