Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
70 seats of the Uttarakhand legislative assembly will go to polls on February 14, and the ruling BJP and Oppn Congress are caught in a war of words over uniform civil code. While CM Pushkar Singh Dhami assured that a special committee would be formed to prepare the draft for UCC in the state to establish equal laws for all regarding marriages, divorces and inheritance , the Opposition has called it a desperate move to cling to power, and has called it an indication of fear in the BJP camp over the party’s chances in the upcoming elections.
With three chief ministers in five years- Trivendra Singh Rawat, Tirath Singh Rawat and Pushkar Singh Dhami, how much has BJP delivered? Newschecker analyses the key indicators in the state:
UTTARAKHAND: GROWTH SLOWS OVER LAST FIVE YEARS
According to the RBI, Uttarakhand has seen growing GSDP since 2017. (Data for 2020-21 and 21-22 not available). But on observing the percentage growth, we note that the growth has been slowing down year after year.
The GSDP for Uttarakhand registered a growth of 7.9% from the previous year in 2017, whereas in 2018, it grew only 5.7%. This further drops to 4.3% in 2019.
Meanwhile, per capita GSDP of the state also observed the same trend, even though it has remained above the national average continuously.
EMPLOYMENT AN AREA OF CONCERN IN UTTARAKHAND
In terms of employment, Uttarakhand has seen a worsening scenario, even though it is the state with least unemployment rate out of the five states going to polls. The number of unemployed in the state grew from 67,000 in January-April 2017 to 1,27,000 in September-December 2021 according to the CMIE data.
The unemployment rate also grew in this period, from 1.47 to 4.08, although the figures have been consistently below the national average.
The Labour Participation Rate (LPR) however, has experienced a sharp fall in the five years under the BJP regime. Labour force participation rate is defined as the section of the working population in the age group of 16-64 in the economy currently employed or seeking employment. When there are fewer jobs, people are discouraged to focus on employment which eventually leads to lower participation rate.
The LPR in Jan-April 2017 was 41.67 in Uttarakhand, which was less than the national average of 44.39. This number fell to 31.73 in September-December 2021, while the national average for the corresponding period was 40.38.
Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: How Far Did Yogi Administration Take The State On The Path Of Progress?
UTTARAKHAND SLIPS IN WOMEN’S SAFETY?
Looking at crime statistics, the state has seen an unsteady yet marginal rise in total cognizable IPC crimes over the last five years. In 2017, the state saw 12,889 total IPC crimes being reported. This rose to 14,739 in 2018, and dropped sharply to 12,081 in 2019, before picking up again to 13,812 cases in 2020.
In terms of major crimes, murders also reflect the same trend, with 181 cases in 2017, going up to 211 cases in 2018 which drops slightly to 199 in 2019, and further down to 160 in 2020.
But a closer look at the crimes against women shows that number of rapes spiked from 374 in 2017 to over 500 instances in both 2018 and 2019. The figures came down to 484 in 2020, but were still more than the figures in 2017.
Cases of assault on women also recorded an increase, from 435 in 2017 to 474 in 2020.
Domestic abuse cases nearly doubled, with 394 cases in 2017 to 668 instances in 2020. Dowry deaths also registered a marginal rise, from 60 in 2017 to 65 in 2020, though a small fall was observed in 2019.
Analysing the law enforcement infrastructure, the gap between the sanctioned number of police per lakh population (PPR) and actual figure is not that wide. While the sanctioned PPR in 2017 was 197, the actual number was around 186. In 2020, the sanctioned PPR was around 196, while the actual figures were around 188.
The same has been observed with respect to the population per police (PPP).
While the sanctioned PPP was 507.3 in 2017, the actual PPP was around 536. In 2020, the PPP was almost the same, with around 531 actual and almost 508 sanctioned.
Also Read: As Goa Heads To Polls, What Does The Data Tell Us About Progress Of The State?
HEALTH SPENDING INCREASES, KEY INDICATORS SHOW PROGRESS
In terms of spending on health, Uttarakhand spent increasing sums of money, barring the pandemic year of 2020-2021. The spending on health during 2017-18 was 4.4% which grew to 5.2% in 2018-19 and 2019-20, before dropping to 4.7%. The budget estimate of 2021-22 has earmarked an expenditure of 6.1% for the health sector.
According to the National Health Profile, the total number of PHCs in the state increased from 257 in 2017 to 295 in 2021 whereas the number of beds fell from 8,512 to 8,106. Shortfall of specialists like Obstetrics-Gynaecologists and paediatricians and surgeons in the state also increased marginally from 187 in 2015 to 192 in 2020.
A look at the health indicators shows a promising trend. While the national average in terms of anaemia increased from 53.1% (2015-16) to 57% (2019-21), in Uttarakhand, it dropped from 45.2% to 42.6%.
Same is the case with severe wastage in children, which fell from 9% in 2015-16 to 4.7% in 2019-21. The national average in the corresponding period, increased from 7.5% to 7.7%. Similarly, stunting in children also showed a drop from 33.5% in 2015-16 to 27% in 2019-21.
But infant mortality rate in the state has remained in the same range. While Uttarakhand recorded an IMR of 39.7% in 2015-2016, it remained almost constant at 39.1% in 2019-21.
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
