Volume-XII, Issue-III, May 2026 |
Spatial Variability of Human Development Index (HDI) At Village Level, Across Coastal Blocks of West Bengal, India Biswajit Baidya, Research Scholar, Coastal Environmental Studies Research Centre, Egra S.S.B. College, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India Dr. Dipak Bisai, Associate Professor, Dept. of Geography, Coastal Environmental Studies Research Centre, Egra S.S.B. College, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India Sourav Singh, Research Scholar, Coastal Environmental Studies Research Centre, Egra S.S.B. College, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, West Bengal, India |
Received: 25.05.2026 | Accepted: 29.05.2026 | Published Online: 31.05.2026 | Page No: 174-187 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.03W.333 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The combination of livelihood diversification, infrastructure access, and ecological sensitivity shapes human development in coastal area. Four coastal blocks in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India, Khejuri-I, II, Nandigram-I, II are evaluated for spatial variation at village level Human Development Index (HDI). The findings show significant disparities in human well-being despite comparable coastal environments. With 12.37 percent of its villages obtaining very high HDI (>0.800) and 40.21 percent scoring in the high category (0.700-0.799), Khejuri-II has the most advanced development status. While just 4.12 percent of villages fall into the low HDI category (>0.550), the highest- ranked hamlet, Jafar Chak (HDI, 0.959), has strong governance, varied livelihoods and substantial infrastructure. With 7.32 percent of villages falling into the very high HDI category and 36.59 percent falling into the high HDI category, Nandigram-II is ranked second and has a generally balanced HDI pattern. Prominent communities like Jayanpur (0.803) and Khodambari (0.802) have improved access to transportation and social services, but 19.50 percent of villages still have poor HDI because of frequent flooding and reliance on livelihoods. Conversely, Khejuri-I indicates a preponderance of medium to low human development, with 38.10 percent of villages falling under low HDI and 47.62 percent in the medium group (0.550-0.699). The block’s, ranked Shyamchak (0.834) and lowest ranked Katari (0.189) differ significantly, indicating profound intra-regional inequality impacted by erosion, saline intrusion, and insufficient networks for healthcare and education. With 52.53 percent of villages having low HDI and just 6.06 percent having extremely high HDI, Nandigram –I has the lowest performance as per study. | ||
Keywords: Human Development Index; Spatial inequality; Coastal vulnerability; Livelihood resilience; Rural development; Purba Medinipur; West Bengal |