MYSURU: The health and education parameters of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka have improved, with the scores being above the national average. This is according to a study conducted by researchers of the University of Mysore (UoM).
More than 25 per cent districts have shown good performance in social development and about 33 per cent districts have shown moderate performance, says ‘Study of Media and Social Development – A Case Study of Karnataka.’ The state is witnessing the emergence of a development model that is distinct in the country, it adds.
The study was carried out by ICSSR senior fellow N Usha Rani, Tumkur University vice-chancellor YS Siddegowda, and Muzaffar H Assadi, the dean of faculty of arts, UoM. They describe the state’s development model as a hybrid socioeconomic, market-driven model.
GK Karanth, a sociologist, said that Karnataka was known as a progressive state where social change was the primary wheel of development. “One of the characteristics of this change has been equitable access to the engines of growth and justice. Devaraj Urs set this in motion on a fast track when many states, including Gujarat and Kerala, were still discovering their ways of development,” he said.
According to Usha Rani, the significant feature of the Karnataka model is that the growth in social indicators correlates with economic progress. The state shows better performance in the creation of employment opportunities, infrastructure development and land distribution among the marginalised.
Despite being recognised as an IT hub and exporting a high percentage of software, Karnataka has promoted inclusivity in development by creating more employment opportunities, she added.
Usha Rani noted that Karnataka had outperformed Kerala and Gujarat in certain parameters.
