Abstract

The present paper is an attempt to highlight the magnitude and the problems of unbalanced human development in the state of Meghalaya using data collected for a Major Research Project of UGC. The study reveals widespread variations in human development across all the seven districts and disparities between rural and urban areas and between male and female groups of population within the state. There exists a significant level of disparity both in income consumption and in non-income attainments over the districts. The inequality in economic attainment happens to be very high. However, both measures of variation and inequality index suggest that few non-income indicators such as intensity of formal education and infant mortality rate have disparities over economic indicators which are indeed a cause of considerable concern. In addition, economic inequality is much higher than the overall HDI inequality. With an evidence of a huge shortfall in HDI the existing level of variation and disabilities calls for a need to redesign the public policies that directly affect the welfare of the people.