ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses various dimensions of deprivations in Bihar related to human development and standard of living. These dimensions include consumer expenditure, health (nutrition), standard of living (drinking water, cooking fuel, and sanitation), and asset and land distribution. To analyse these deprivations, data provided by the NSSO (69th, 76th, 77th, and 78th Rounds), NFHS 4 and 5, along with various other reports, have been used. The analysis reflects that a very high proportion of households belong to the lower consumer expenditure classes; almost one-third of women and onefourth of men are engrossed in low BMI, reflecting significantly higher levels of undernutrition among the adult population in Bihar. A significantly higher proportion of households have no access to safe drinking water or clean sources of cooking fuel; more than one-half of total households in Bihar do not have the exclusive facility of toilets; and a high proportion of rural households are landless. The public expenditure on the social sector, which is critical to coming out of the economic deprivations of the masses, remained considerably low during the study period.
