Policies Aimed at Reducing Regional Disparity during Pre and Post Reforms in Karnataka

Regional Disparities has always remained a serious matter of concern. It is well know that in a large country like India, blessed with different regions and with various factor endowments like natural resources, human resources and knowledge would result in dissimilar growth path over time. Most of the economic activities were carried in few metropolitan cities keeping the other areas in the backwaters of underdevelopment. Not only marked disparities in economic development at the state level existed, but in fact all the states were characterised by sharp intra-regional disparities. Removal of regional disparities and establishment of regional development in the country was one of the objectives of economic planning and the policy makers always strive hard to achieve the objective of balanced regional development. The fifth five year plan 1974-79 and sixth five year plan 1980-85 emphasised the need for regional planning to reduce inter-district and intra-district imbalances in all the states of the country including Karnataka. The planning commission set up a National Committee on the development of backward areas (1978-1981). Further, in order to redress the imbalances between North and South Karnataka, a High Power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances [HPC FRRI] in October 2000 was set up. The Special Development plan and the Backward Region Grant Fund are the major programmes to reduce the regional imbalances; these efforts have led to an increased in the levels of economic and human development in most backward and more backward taluks. Keywords: Regional Disparities, Economic Planning, Regional Planning, Economic and Human Development & Regional Development