Despite Karnataka’s strong socio-economic growth over the past 25 years, the Karnataka Regional Imbalances Redressal Committee (2026), headed by economist M. Govinda Rao, has found a significant increase in the number of backward taluks, and it identified 93 taluks as the most backward, while 36 taluks were classified as more backward, 43 taluks as backward, and 64 taluks as developed taluks.
The panel submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday.
A High-Power Committee (HPC-I) on regional imbalances, headed by D.M. Nanjundappa in 2002, had classified 39 taluks as most backward, 40 as more backward, 39 as backward and the remaining 61 as developed.
The total number of taluks in Karnataka increased from 175 in 2001 to 236 at present, an addition of 61 taluks.
The Rao-headed panel said the proportion of backward taluks in the total number of taluks has increased from 65% in 2001-02 to 72.8% in 2022-23, indicating a widening of regional imbalances despite overall economic progress.
