Socio-economic deprivation in India

Based on twenty one indicators, the present study investigates the levels of social and economic deprivation among the twenty-eight states and seven union territories of India. The entire research work is based on secondary sources of data. The overall analysis of the study reveals that the level of economic deprivation is high in the western, central and eastern parts and it is moderate to low in the states situated in the northern and north-eastern parts of India. The high level of social deprivation is in the north-central states and it is low in the north-eastern and southern most states of India. However, the states of Uttarakhand and Meghalaya have recorded high level of social but low level of economic deprivation, and the states of Goa and Kerala have experienced the low level of social but medium level of economic deprivation.