A Story behind the Curtains: Rural Disparity and Inequality in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is a state full of cultural and social diversities of rural India along with vast inequalities. It is among the five low-income states of India along with Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, previously known as ‘BIMARU’ states. However, Rajasthan is artistically and culturally rich, its traditions reflect the ancient Indian way of life. Also, being the 8th most populous state in India. It ranked 25th among India's 29 states in literacy rate and ranked eighth amongst in tax revenue with eighth largest GDP of India's states.

Rajasthan has 24.87 per-cent urban population and around 75.13 per cent live in the villages of rural areas. The inequality comes under the dividing lines of caste, class and gender, rural disparity in Rajasthan in the dimensions of caste belonging to socially disadvantaged group; class-landless people, poor farmers and gender-women facing inequality. Uneven access to land, inequality of incomes, unemployment with instability in demography, landholdings is divided to such an extent that no large landowners in rural Rajasthan exist today.

This paper is an attempt to analyse the critical conditions of rural Rajasthan and trends of differentially contrasting development of literacy rate, poor economic and social status with the regional differences within. In ‘The Rajasthan Panchayat Act (1953)’, village panchayats were established throughout the state, under the three-tier scheme of Panchayati Raj which began functioning on 2 October 1959. The accountability of significant progress in the fields of primary and secondary education, communication, agricultural extension, cooperation, health and rural awakening and others is in contrast with the failure of responsibilities in actual functioning. The major focus is the study of empowerment of rural youth and women along with the involvement of economic disparities and ignorance among rural Rajasthan.