How J'khand's fortunes evolved since formation

Forty-three of the 81 assembly constituencies (ACs) in Jharkhand will go to polls today, November 13.

- Auhona Mukherjee

On November 15, it will be 24 years since Jharkhand was carved out as a separate state from Bihar after decades of protests. Jharkhand came into being as a separate state along with two more states, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, which were carved out of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. How have the three states fared economically over the last two and a half decades? This is an important question to ask because the future of a better and just economic promise was an important motivation in the movement for creation of each of these three states. Here is what the data shows.

1. Jharkhand lost its relative advantage in GSDP vis-a-vis Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh

A simple comparison of gross state domestic product (GSDP) data shows this clearly. In 2000-01, Jharkhand's GSDP (2004-05 series in constant prices) was 2.5 times that of Uttarakhand and 1.3 times that of Chhattisgarh. By 2023-24, these numbers had become 1.3 and 0.9 respectively.