Resource information
Himachal Pradesh has the reputation of
being stable, inclusive, cohesive and well-governed and it
stands apart in many respects from its neighbors in northern
India. It has additionally, achieved remarkable growth,
especially in the last two decades, which has been
accompanied by very good human development outcomes. Despite
being a predominantly rural society, educational attainment
in Himachal Pradesh for instance, is among the best in the
country; poverty headcount is nearly one-third of the
national average; life expectancy is 3.4 years longer than
the number of years an average Indian expects to live; and,
per capita income is the second highest among "special category" states in India. Underlying
its strong economic and social development outcomes is
Himachal Pradesh's commitment to expand access to public
services to the remotest areas, across tough, hilly terrain
and its strong institutional foundations. Inter-group
disparities are low in a state where traditionally
disadvantaged groups such as the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and
Scheduled Tribes (STs) make up a solid 30 percent of the population.
