Regionalism / Regionalism / Reasons behind prevalence of Regionalism

Reasons behind prevalence of Regionalism

  • The low rate of economic growth compared to high population growth has hindered the pace of development. Additionally, economic growth in India has been negatively impacted by global economic crises and domestic bottlenecks. 
  • The socio-economic and political organization of states have also contributed to the persistence of regionalism. Land reforms have largely failed, and feudal mentalities still exist. Political activities in less developed states are limited to vote bank politics and scams. 
  • Backward states have lower levels of infrastructural facilities, such as power distribution, irrigation facilities, and modern markets for agricultural produce. These issues fall under the purview of state governments. 
  • Low levels of social expenditure by states on education, health, and sanitation have hindered human resource development. States that have invested heavily in these areas, such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are more developed. 
  • Political and administrative failures have led to tensions and the birth of sub-regional movements for separate states. The creation of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Telangana are examples of these failures. Other such demands, including Vidarbha, Saurashtra, Darjeeling, and Bodoland, are also in the pipeline. These failures have also weakened the confidence of private players and deterred investors. 
  • The "son of the soil" doctrine has also contributed to regionalism, particularly since the 1950s. According to this doctrine, a state belongs to the main linguistic group inhabiting it, or the state constitutes the exclusive homeland of its main language speakers, who are the sons of the soil or local residents.