District Human Development Report - Malda (2007)

Abstract

The Malda District Human Development Report [DHDR] is among the first comprehensive studies to be conducted in India on human development at sub-district level. As such, it forms a model for many more human development studies of a similar kind that will be carried out subsequently in the other West Bengal districts and eventually in all districts across India. The Malda DHDR is a direct sequel to the earlier West Bengal Human Development Report [WBHDR] published in 2004, which identified the district of Malda as being one of the most deprived in the state in terms of human development. The choice of Malda as a location for one of the first DHDR exercises to be conducted in West Bengal serves to identify the most pressing developmental constraints in a district where the impact of these has been most severe. By focusing the study on Malda, a parallel effort has also been made to build the institutional capacity in the district for human development based planning at district-level. The Malda DHDR is thus expected to serve as the future foundation for formulating a comprehensive District Human Development Plan for Malda district.