About 60% of the backward taluks are concentrated in north Karnataka: Panel report

Karnataka's backward taluks increase, revealing regional imbalances despite economic growth, with 93 classified as most backward.

Karnataka Regional Imbalances Redressal Committee (2026), headed by economist M. Govinda Rao, which submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday, highlighted that 60% of the backward taluks are concentrated in north Karnataka. The most backward taluks are in 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.”

The earlier Nanjundappa Committee on regional imbalance in 2002 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.

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.