Despite Karnataka’s strong socio-economic growth over the past 25 years, the Karnataka Regional Imbalances Redressal Committee (2026), headed by economist M. Govinda Rao, has found a significant increase in the number of backward taluks, and it identified 93 taluks as the most backward, while 36 taluks were classified as more backward, 43 taluks as backward, and 64 taluks as developed taluks.
The panel submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday.
A High-Power Committee (HPC-I) on regional imbalances, headed by D.M. Nanjundappa in 2002, had classified 39 taluks as most backward, 40 as more backward, 39 as backward and the remaining 61 as developed.
The total number of taluks in Karnataka increased from 175 in 2001 to 236 at present, an addition of 61 taluks.
The Rao-headed panel said the proportion of backward taluks in the total number of taluks has increased from 65% in 2001-02 to 72.8% in 2022-23, indicating a widening of regional imbalances despite overall economic progress.
Highest in NK
It noted that 60% of the backward taluks are concentrated in north Karnataka, the most backward taluks concentrated in the Kalaburagi division (42%), followed by the Belagavi division (34%).
In terms of the number of backward taluks, Belagavi division has the largest share (33.7%), followed by Kalaburagi division (26.1%). Both in terms of the numbers and in terms of the intensity of backwardness, north Karnataka has the largest concentration of backward taluks, said the report.
Noting that “Karnataka is a State of contrasts,” it said, “Curiously, the high growth performance has not fully translated into commensurate improvement in social indicators. This is mainly because the increase in income is concentrated in only a few districts, and large parts of the State still suffer from acute backwardness.”
Najunadappa panel
The earlier Nanjundappa Committee had recommended an outlay of ₹31,000 crore to be spent to overcome the infrastructure deficit in 114 backward taluks. Until 2022-23, ₹43,453.98 crore was allocated, ₹35,380.24 crore released, and the actual expenditure was ₹32,610.24 crore.
The Rao Committee, observed that the sectoral allocation of funds was substantially at variance with the recommended allocations. It noted that district-level, not taluk-level, expenditure amounted to 6.1% of the total expenditures. “More importantly, poor implementation is seen by the fact that information relating to almost 11.2% of the funds allocated to the taluks has not been received from the taluks by the Special Development Plan division,” it observed.
Status of new taluks
Another important finding is that of the 61 new taluks, 51 are in the most backward category, two in the more backward category, five in the backward category and three in the developed category.
Among the 20 taluks with the lowest Comprehensive Composite Development Index (CCDI), 17 are new taluks. Overall, 13 are in Kalaburagi division, six in Belagavi division, and one in Mysuru division.
“If we look at the taluks with the highest CCDI values, 15 of the 20 taluks are in either the Mysuru or the Bengaluru divisions. Of these, 11 taluks are in the Mysuru division, and the remaining four are in the Bengaluru division. Of the remaining five, four are in the Belagavi division and only one is in the Kalaburagi division,” it said.
How they moved
Of the 39 most backward taluks in 2001, 24 continued in the same category, 11 moved into the more backward category, three made a transition to the backward category and one qualified into the developed category.
Among the 40 more backward taluks in 2001, 13 deteriorated to most backward, 15 remained in the same category, nine improved to the backward category and three qualified as developed.
Among the 35 taluks which were classified as backward in 2001 by the HPC-I, 16 remained in the same category, six became more backward, three moved to most backward and 10 moved into the developed category.
In the case of the 61 taluks considered developed in 2001, 47 remained in the same category, 10 moved back to the backward category, two became more backward and two deteriorated to the most backward category.
The panel recommended an additional allocation of ₹43,914 crore from 2026-27 to 2031-32 for the backward taluks and districts.
Human development deficit
The report said the high rank in per capita income in the State is not matched by improvement in human development. The sharp increase in inequality in per capita income is due to the concentration of growth in the modern services sector, only in a few districts. While the rich can afford to “buy” better quality private education and healthcare, the poor are forced to access deteriorating public education and public health services, it observed.
