A Study on Role of Political Leadership in Social Development of Karnataka

Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to find the role of political leadership in the social development of Karnataka especially in the field of education and health. The study further focuses on understanding whether the shifts and changes in political leadership impact on developmental activities, in areas of health and education in the state. The hypothesis was that the political leadership in Karnataka contributed to the development of education and health in Karnataka. The study examines different policies, programmes, and schemes implemented by the Chief Ministers for the development of education and health in the state. The data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources comprised of Government Gazettes including Gazettes of Mysore and Karnataka, and Biographies of Chief Ministers. Secondary sources include books, journal articles, relevant online sources, newspapers, magazines, data sets of government, and other agencies. The data is presented theme-wise as per the objectives listed. This is a qualitative study that primarily focuses on the policy documents of each state government on the issues of education and health. newlineThe findings of the study show that political leadership was successful in the development of the education and health indicators of the citizens of Karnataka state. The data shows that the change of party, change of leader, and caste have not impacted the social development policies and programmes of the government. There has been continuity of the policies, programmes, and schemes related to the social sector especially education and health over the different Chief Ministers and political party rule in the state such as mid-day meal scheme, schemes for educational facilities for scheduled castes and tribes, schemes for the educational development of physically handicapped students, programme of adult education, free primary and secondary education, programmes such as eradication of communicable diseases, schemes and programmes for the development of health care of the women and children and family planning programmes and so on. These schemes, policies, and programmes which existed irrespective of the change of political leadership and party in the state. The continuity of the policies, programmes, and schemes throughout different regimes have resulted in increase in literacy rate, enrolment rate, decrease in the dropout rate, decrease in the birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate, an increase in sex ratio in the state over the years, that indicates that the political change or the shift has not made any kind of impact on the social development policies in the state. newline