Journal Press India^®

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The present study attempts to analyse inter-regional disparity in rural infrastructure in the state of Odisha. Three separate indices have been developed for different categories of rural infrastructure- physical, social and financial - with help of the Principal Component Analysis before unifying them to a single index known as the Rural Infrastructure Index (RII). The study observes that there exists vertical inequality in the spread of different categories of infrastructure in the state. Disparity is the severest in the case of financial infrastructure. The study attributes underdevelopment of Kalahandi- Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) belt and some of districts of western- central Odisha to the underdevelopment of rural infrastructure. The analysis lauds the formation of special plans such as the KBK plan and formation of Western Odisha Council by the government. It calls for a time-bound delivery system and region-specific measures in place.

Keywords

Rural infrastructure index, Principal component analysis, Odisha

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