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CHILDRENANDHRA PRADESH

A FOCUS ON

1

TABLE OF CONTENT

Introduction .................................................................. 2

1.1. Demography and income - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3

Water & Sanitation ....................................................... 6

2.1. Sanitation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7

2.2. Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -11

Health ......................................................................... 16

3.1. IMR - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -17

3.2. Health Services - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -20

3.3. Immunisation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -21

3.4. Nutrition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -23

3.5. Maternal Health - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -24

3.6. Malnutrition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -27

Child Protection ........................................................... 28

Education .................................................................... 32

Conclusion ................................................................... 36

2

3

45

1

2

The state of Andhra Pradesh lies in South India and has Telangana. Tamil

Nadu, Karnataka and, a little further south, Kerala, as its neighbours.

Andhra Pradesh occupies a curious position in the country with regard to

its development status – while on many key development parameters it

fares better than much of North India. However, on comparison with its

neighbours in South India, the state lags behind on several development

sectors. From this perspective, it can be said that the state is at a position

where it has made definite and notable progress in a number of spheres which

constitute human development but needs to make further and continuous

improvements in order to be counted among the more developed states of

India.

1 INTRODUCTION

3

1.1. DEMOGRAPHY AND INCOME

Population size(Millions)

Total

2.34 - 2.96

2.97 - 4.08

4.09 - 4.89

4.90 - 49.39

Andhra Pradesh49.39

Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellor2.96

Prakasam3.40

Y.S.R.2.88

Visakhapatnam4.29

Chittoor4.17

Anantapur4.08

Kurnool4.05

Guntur4.89

Krishna4.52

West Godavari3.94

East Godavari5.15

Srikakulam2.70Vizianagaram

2.34

Sources: ORGI_Census, 2011; ORGI_Estimates from Census, 2011

Andhra Pradesh comprises 13 districts that have a total population of 49.39 million. Four of

its districts – Guntur, Krishna, East Godavari and Vishakhapatnam – have comparatively large

populations. Three of these districts – Guntur, East Godavari and Krishna – are also among the

districts which have the highest population density.

INTRODUCTION

4

Population size (millions)(0-6 Year, 2011)

Total Rural Urban

5.22

3.76

1.46

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sources: ORGI_Census, 2011

According to the 2011 Census, the 0-6 population in the state was 5.2 million with the majority

of children (3.7 million) in the 0-6 years age group in rural areas compared with around 1.4

million in urban areas. From the perspective of development planning and monitoring, this

means that the state is predominantly rural and, as a result, requires strong services for

children in rural areas in order to bring major shifts into state averages.

5

Sex ratio (0-6 Year, 2011)Females per 1000 males - 2011

964

948944 943

902

888

846

834

750

800

850

900

950

1000

Kerala Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan Punjab Haryana


With its sex ratio (females per 1,000 males) at 944, Andhra Pradesh’s sex ratio is better than

some other states in India such as Rajasthan (888), Punjab (846), Haryana (834) and Uttar

Pradesh (902). However, on this important indicator, which serves as an important measuring

tool for possible son preference and stratus of girls and women, Andhra Pradesh is below other

states of South India including Kerala (964) and Karnataka (948).

This indicator is a small glimpse into the context of Andhra Pradesh – a southen state where

development indicators for many sectors are considerably better than they are for much of

North India. While it may be tempting to measure the performance of Andhra Pradesh against

the national averages and against the states of north India, it may be pertinent to put the state

in the block of South Indian states so that Andhra Pradesh raises the bar to achieve the highest

results for children and people of the state.

According to NSS 2011-2012 data, the proportion of employed people in state below poverty

line was 5.3. Trend data show that this has been declining steadily over a period of time,

indicating an increase in incomes and prosperity.

6

Availability and quality of services and facilities related to water and sanitation

are critical to the health and well-being of people. There is evidence to

suggest that as much as * % of illnesses can be prevented by washing hands.

Similarly, the proportion of water-borne diseases in the overall disease

burden is known to be very high. This can be addressed through provision of

safe water, sanitary toilets and health-promoting behaviours and practices.

WATER & SANITATION2

7

2.1. SANITATION

Having latrine facility within the premises: Total - HouseholdsPer cent - Total - 2011

9592

90 8986

80

5048

36

29

0

25

50

75

100

Kerala Mizoram Delhi Manipur Tripura Goa AndhraPradesh

Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh MadhyaPradesh

Perc

ent


The sanitation map of India is an unimpressive one with all large states of the country – whether

in South or North India – reporting a low proportion of houses with latrine facilities within the

premises. Only Kerala and Goa in the southern half of India, and Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura

in the north-east, have coverages above 80% in addition to Delhi. Only half of Andhra Pradesh’s

people have latrine facility in their houses. While this is better than a number of north Indian

states such as Uttar Pradesh (36%), Madhya Pradesh (29%) and even Tamil Nadu (48%), it is

significantly below acceptable levels of sanitation coverage.

WATER & SANITATION

8

Having latrine facility within the premises: Total - Households

Andhra Pradesh50.0


Prakasam37.5

Y.S.R.44.8

Visakhapatnam51.3

Chittoor37.4

Anantapur36.8

Kurnool40.3

Guntur59.2

Krishna70.4

West Godavari64.6

East Godavari56.9

Srikakulam21.2Vizianagaram

22

Total

21.2 - 37.437.5 - 44.844.9 - 59.259.3 - 70.4


Within the state, four districts, which are Guntur (59%), Krishna (70%), West Godavari (64%)

and East Godavari (57%), have the highest coverages for latrine within the premises – ranging

from 70% for Krishna to 57 % to East Godavari. The lowest coverages are Anantpur (37%) in the

western part of the state and Vizianagram (22%) and Srikakulam (21%) in the eastern part. The

state average of 50 % masks such low figures for districts.

9

Having latrine facility within the premises: Total - HouseholdsPer cent - Total - 2011

Perc

ent

50

32

86

33

20

0

25

50

75

100

Total Rural Urban SC ST


Within the districts, there is a striking difference in latrine coverage between rural and urban

areas, with rural and urban coverages at 32% and 86%. The decline in coverage among

Scheduled Caste communities is stark. For example, state-level coverage for SC communities

is 33%, which is 17% less than the state average. Similar trends are apparent in the districts as

well. Coverage drops even lower in the context of households belonging to Scheduled Tribes

with only 20% of the houses reporting a latrine within the premises.

10

Having bathing facility: Total - HouseholdsPer cent - Total - 2011

Perc

ent

67

55

37

0

25

50

75

100

Total SC ST


The disparity from an equity perspective can be observed also in the case of other indicators

that represent quality of life, such as bathing facilities in the house. While the state average is

67%, the figure drops sharply to 55% in the case of SC communities, and even further to 37%

in the case of ST communities.

11

2.2. WATERCensus data has a large number of indicators on availability of water as well as the type of

water sources which offer detailed information on people’s access to water as well as the

quality of water available to them.

Location of drinking water source: Near the premises - HouseholdsPer cent - Total - 2011

Perc

ent

45 44

3633

6770

46

0

20

40

60

80

100

Near the premises

Near the premises: SC

Within thepremises

Within the premises: SC

Access to Tapwater

Access toTapwater: SC

Access toTapwater: ST


Water in Andhra Pradesh is moderately abundant. Around 36% of households have a water

source within the premises and 45% have it nearby which means as many as 81 % of the state’s

people have convenient access to water. The figures for SC communities are slightly lower –

33% for a water source within the premises.

What is worthy of note, however, is that 67% of the state’s households have access to tapped

water supply -- the safest source of water. Telangana’s access to tapped water at 73% is a notch

higher than Andhra Pradesh and this could well be the next milestone the state sets for itself

for the next few years. Even more creditable is that the SC population enjoys a higher access

to tapped water at 70%. However, data show that only 33% of them have tapped water within

their premises. Access to tapped water for the ST populations, however, is lower with the

access rate dropping to 45%.

12

Main source of drinking water: Tapwater - Households

Andhra Pradesh83.5


Prakasam75.5

Y.S.R.88.8

Visakhapatnam70.2

Chittoor75.8

Anantapur90.5

Kurnool95.4

Guntur77.6

Krishna86.2

West Godavari88.4

East Godavari84.1

Srikakulam53.3

Vizianagaram78

Urban

53.3 - 75.575.6 - 83.583.6 - 88.888.9 - 95.4

Source: ORGI_Census, 2011

13


Andhra Pradesh63.4


Prakasam51.5

Y.S.R.83.3

Visakhapatnam43.4

Chittoor84.2

Anantapur83.3

Kurnool73.2

Guntur48

Krishna65.8

West Godavari82.6

East Godavari58.3

Srikakulam21

Vizianagaram34.6

Rural

21.0 - 48.048.1 - 65.865.9 - 83.383.4 - 84.2

Rural

21.0 - 48.048.1 - 65.865.9 - 83.383.4 - 84.2


Urban-rural disparity is apparent in access to tapped water supply. For example, the districts

of Krishna, Godavari and Kurnool report access to tapped water at 86%, 88% and 95% in urban

areas but the figures drop to 65%, 82% and 73% , respectively,for rural areas.

14


Andhra Pradesh67.3


Prakasam56.1

Y.S.R.85.1

Visakhapatnam56.3

Chittoor81.8

Anantapur85.3

Kurnool79.5

Guntur57.4

Krishna73.7

West Godavari83.7

East Godavari64.6

Srikakulam26.1

Vizianagaram43.4

Total

26.1 - 56.356.4 - 68.668.7 - 83.783.8 - 85.3


Five districts in particular – Prakasam, Guntur, Vishakhapatnam, Vizianagram and Srikulam

– have relatively small proportions of people enjoying access to tapped water supply. The

situation in Srikakulam is particularly alarming with only 26% of people having access to tapped

water. Not surprisingly, 30% of households here use wells as their main source of water while

41% depend on hand pumps.

16

HEALTH3

17

3.1. IMRInfant mortality rate

Deaths per 1000 live births - Total - 2012

Perc

ent

5655

53

4341

32

25

21

12

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

MadhyaPradesh

Assam Uttar Pradesh Bihar AndhraPradesh

Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Kerala

Source: ORGI_SRS, 2012

The paradox that Andhra Pradesh is surfaces when looking at several health outcome indicators

such as infant mortality rate (IMR). At 41 deaths per thousand infants (2012), Andhra Pradesh

performs better than some of the worst-performing states such as Uttar Pradesh (53), Madhya

Pradesh (56) and Assam (55). However, Andhra Pradesh has done only marginally better than

Bihar where IMR stands at 43. On comparison with other South Indian states, the state lags far

behind. For instance, Kerala’s IMR is the national best at 12 while Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

follow at 32 and 21, respectively. Maharashtra, too, is ranked above Andhra Pradesh with its

IMR at 25, indicating the urgent need for the state to take stock of its health service delivery

systems .

HEALTH

18

Infant mortality rateDeaths per 1000 live births Total

Andhra Pradesh46.0

Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellor42

Prakasam44

Y.S.R.45

Visakhapatnam46

Chittoor41

Anantapur53

Kurnool51

Guntur37

Krishna29

West Godavari32

East Godavari40

Srikakulam55

Vizianagaram53

Total

29.0 - 40.040.1 - 45.045.1 - 53.053.1 - 55.0

Source: Govt of AP_CoHFW, Govt. of India, 2010

An analysis of the district IMR status presents a picture of contrasts, with Srikakulam (55) and

Vizianagram (53) once again being at the bottom of the pile, apart from Anantpur and Kurnool

(53 and 51) while Krishna (29) and West Godavari (32) being far ahead of the rest of the state

with lower IMRs.

19

Infant mortality rateDeaths per 1000 live births - Total - 2012

41

30

46

0

10

20

30

40

50

Total Urban Rural

Source: ORGI_SRS, 2012

On further examination of the IMR data, a serious rural-urban disparity emerges, which

could be attributed to access to and availability of essential life-saving services and practices

prevalent in families. Against the state average IMR (41), urban areas report IMR at 30 while

for rural areas it is at 46. Previous years’ data show girls have a slightly higher IMR than boys,

indicating a possible gender bias in making medical facilities available to girls.

20

3.2. HEALTH SERVICESCurrently married women aged 15-49 years who received any medical check-up within 48 hours of child birth

Per cent Total

Andhra Pradesh76


Prakasam78

Y.S.R.83

Visakhapatnam66

Chittoor76

Anantapur70

Kurnool65

Guntur82

Krishna92

West Godavari89

East Godavari93

Srikakulam76Vizianagaram

70

Total

65 - 7071 - 7879 - 8990 - 93

Source: DLHS III, 2007-8

Various data show that health services are accessible in varying degrees across the state. A

number of indicators on access to and delivery of services point to this. For example, on review

of data on post-natal care. the following facts emerge: around 76% of women who delivered

had a check-up within 48 hours of birth. The skew favours Krishna (92%), West (89%) and East

Godavari (93%), while districts such as Kurnool (65%) and Vishakhapatnam (66%) are at the

other end of the spectrum.

21

3.3. IMMUNISATION Infant mortality can be traced to a number of factors many of which the health service delivery

system is mandated to address. One of these is immunization. Low immunization rates are

linked to higher infant and child morbidity and mortality due to a very high incidence of

vaccine -preventable diseases.

Complete immunizationPer cent - Total 12-23 mo - 2009

Perc

ent

8279 78 77

68

0

25

50

75

100

Kerala Maharashtra Karnataka Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh

Source: CESR, 2009

The complete immunization rate for Andhra Pradesh (2009) for children between 12-23

months was 68% -- considerably lower than the state averages of Maharashtra (78%), Tamil

Nadu (77%), Karnataka (78%) and Kerala (81%).

22

Complete immunizationPer cent Total 12-13 mo

Andhra Pradesh63


Prakasam58

Y.S.R.64

Visakhapatnam60

Chittoor62

Anantapur71

Kurnool55

Guntur59

Krishna83

West Godavari72

East Godavari65

Srikakulam62Vizianagaram

55

Total 12-23 mo

54 - 5960 - 6364 - 7273 - 83


Within the state, a wide disparity exists between the districts with Anantpur (71%), Krishna

(83%) and West Godavari (72%) being the best-performing ones in 2007-8. On the other side

of the divide are Kurnool (54%), Nellore (55%) and Vizianagram (55%). Srikakulam, in many

instances in the last quintile, is at 62% complete immunization rate, indicating that the health

systems are functional here and have the potential to deliver services.

23

3.4. NUTRITIONPe

rcen

t

27

76

87

64

0

20

40

60

80

100

2009 2007-2008 2009 2005-2006

CSER DLHS III CSER NFHS III

Initiation of feedingwithin one hour

Initiation of feedingwithin one day

Exclusive breastfeedingrate

Timely complementaryfeeding

Feeding practices are a strong determinant of infant health and survival. Data show that in

Andhra Pradesh, breastfeeding for only 27% of infants (below three years) was initiated in

the first hour while 75% of children were breastfed within the first day (2009). Around 87%

of children below three years were exclusively breastfed for six months. On this account, the

state is far ahead of the other states in India and occupies the top rank. However, the state’s

performance dips in complementary feeding with 63% of the children starting it in a timely

manner.

24

3.5. MATERNAL HEALTHMaternal mortality ratio

Deaths per 100,000 live births - Total - 2010-2012

110

144

90

66

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Tamil Nadu Kerala

Source: ORGI_SRS, 2010 -12

Maternal and child health often go hand in hand as the same service delivery systems cater to

women and children and around the same time. Data show that the state’s maternal mortality

ratio (MMR) in 2010-2012 was at 110, which was better than most of north Indian states and

also Karnataka (144), even though more than Tamil Nadu (90) and Kerala (66), which indicates

that the state has invested in maternal health care even though it is behind the top-performers.

25

Contraceptive prevalence rate by methodPer cent - Total 15-49 yr Any method - 2007-2008

Perc

ent

6765 64

6361

58

49

38

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Kerala Karnataka Tamil Nadu Madhya Pradesh Assam Uttar Pradesh


The state also has an impressive 67% of women using a contraceptive method, higher

than Kerala (64%). Use of contraception delays and prevents pregnancy and is a significant

contributing factor for the state reporting moderately low 11% decadal growth rate -- nearly

half of many other states that are reporting growth rates above 20%. However, Andhra Pradesh

has the potential for achieving lower growth rates by expanding services and contraceptive

choices and improving the status of women -- factors which have an impact on fertility.

26

Women who had institutional deliveryPer cent - 2005-2006

94

89

9499

64 65

99

88

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu

Any antenatal check up Institutional delivery

Source: NFHS III, 2005-6

The state has an impressive institutional delivery rate which, at 94% (2005-2006), was second

only to Kerala (99%). The state also had an equally impressive 94% of women having any

antenatal check-up, which shows the connect expecting mothers have with the health service

delivery system. This could be an area of improvement for the state to ensure that maternal

and infant deaths are further reduced through regular monitoring of mothers’ health so that

potentially life-threatening cases can be identified early.

27

3.6. MALNUTRITIONAnaemia among children

Per cent - Under 3 year - 2005-2006

Perc

ent

30 29

33

38

21

25

80

56

73

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Andhra Pradesh Kerala Tamil Nadu

Prevalence of underweight Prevalence of stunting Anaemia among children


An extremely important area of focus and intervention for children’s programmes is nutrition.

Malnutrition is a contributor to infant and child mortality and severely compromises a child’s

ability to be healthy. A number of malnutrition indicators exist based on the severity and impact

of malnutrition. Having a relatively low rate of under-three malnutrition (30% for the state)

which is comparable with some other South Indian states such as Kerala (29%) and Tamil Nadu

(33%) is no guarantee that the state has won the battle against malnutrition. Poor nutritional

status of children is also reflected in the prevalence of anaemia – around 80% of children under

three years were reported with anaemia in 2005 -2006.

These figures are drawn from the NFHS III survey which was conducted in the years 2005-2006.

It is possible that malnutrition rates in Andhra Pradesh have drppped. Nevertheless, considering

that the past two NFHS surveys between 1998 and 2005-2006 show a consistent pattern in

malnutrition-related indicators, it remains to be seen what the extent of this improvement is.

To address malnutrition requires an accelerated thrust not only in the ICDS programme which

is based on supplementary feeding for children and mothers but also in other programmes in

the areas of health, water and sanitation as it is well-documented that while malnourished

children are at an increased risk of falling sick, their sickness makes them further malnourished.

28

Professionals working in the area of child protection are often faced with a

paucity of data. While a number of national surveys collect data on health,

education and several other sectors, such surveys on the status of working

children, children living on streets, children facing abuse and exploitation, or

being forced into early marriage are few and far between. The Child Rights

Atlas, therefore, is using a limited number of indicators in this section.

CHILD PROTECTION4

29

Birth registrationPer cent - 2005-2006

Perc

ent

40

36

49

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Andhra Pradesh

Total Rural Urban


Birth registration: The right to be registered at birth is an important right of the child and

potentially safeguards the child against neglect and trafficking. The NFHS III found only 40% of

the children in the state to be registered, with only 35% of rural and 49% of urban births being

recorded by the state birth registration system.

CHILD PROTECTION

30

Child workers ratioRatio Female 5-14 years

Andhra Pradesh7.7


Prakasam8.7

Y.S.R.5.3

Visakhapatnam6.1

Chittoor5.9

Anantapur8.4

Kurnool14.8

Guntur9.6

Krishna6.7

West Godavari6.7

East Godavari4.5

Srikakulam7.0

Vizianagaram11.5

Total 5-14 yr

4.5 - 5.96.0 - 7.07.1 - 9.69.7 - 14.8


Child workers: The proportion of child workers in the 5-14 years category in the state according

to the 2001 Census was around 7.7%, which is more than most Indian states. Among the

districts, Kurnool recorded the highest proportion of child workers at 14.8% followed by

Vizianagram at 11.5% and Guntur at 9.6%, which are much higher than the state average.

Data show more girls than boys, and more children in rural than urban areas to be working. For

example, the child worker ratio for boys in rural areas was 9 as compared to 3 for urban areas,

and was higher for girls (8.4) than boys (7).

31

Marriage below legal age at marriagePer cent - Female - 2007-2008

Perc

ent

46

40

33

29 29

9

7

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Bihar Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Kerala


Child marriage: Child marriage is an indicator which is reflective of the status of women, and

settles the issue on whether they are considered an asset or a liability by families in which they

are born and society. A large proportion of children in Andhra Pradesh are married off early – as

many as 27.5% of boys and 28.5% of girls. This is much higher than rates in South Indian states

such as Kerala (6.8%) and Tamil Nadu (9.10%), and comparable with several states in North

India such as Madhya Pradesh (29%), Rajasthan (40%), Uttar Pradesh (33%) and Bihar (46%).

The state needs to work with communities to get them to delay their children’s marriages and

invest in their education. Equally important is obtaining district and block-level information to

identify pockets where incidence of child marriage is higher so that special interventions and

campaigns can be designed for these areas.

32

EDUCATION5

33

Net enrolment ratioPer cent - Total 3-5 year - 2011-2012

Perc

ent

59

45

42

36

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka Andhra Pradesh

Source: NSS, 68th round

In order to get the complete education picture of the state, it is important to observe several

key indicators and understand their relationship as well.

Data on education in the state of Andhra Pradesh show the state has a lot of ground to cover.

The net enrolment ratio (primary education) in the state for the years 2011-12 was only 36%,

which is less than that of Karnataka (41%), Tamil Nadu (44%) and Kerala (59%). This suggests

that a very large proportion of children between 3 and 5 years of age are not enrolled in school.

This is corroborated by another indicator which shows that as many as 40% of children in the

3-5 years category in the state have never attended school. This is a very large proportion of

the state’s children. It is worrying that in an era of technology and progress, children who do

not currently go to school will be left out and not realize their true potential.

34

Gender Parity Index (Higher Education)Index Value - Total - 2007-2008

1.20

1.10

0.99 0.97

0.870.84

0.79 0.79

0.59 0.58

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

Punjab Kerala Mizoram Meghalaya Tamil Nadu Karnataka MadhyaPradesh

Sikkim Manipur AndhraPradesh

Source: MOHRD, Selected Educational Statistics, 2007-8

A silver lining in this scenario is the very low drop -out rate in primary classes. However, it can

be inferred from available data that drop-out rates increase in higher education, and more

girls than boys drop out of school and college. The Gender Parity Index in higher education

for the state is .58, which is the ratio for every girl vis-à-vis a boy pursuing higher education.

Interestingly, the figures for states such as Madhya Pradesh (.79), Karnataka (.84) and Tamil

Nadu (.87) are considerably higher. What is notable, however, is that for a few states in India,

the index is more than 1, indicating that more girls are pursuing higher education than boys.

Some of these states are Punjab (1.2), Kerala (1.34), Sikkim (1.06) and Meghalaya (1.02) while

Mizoram (.93) and Manipur (.88) show much greater gender parity in education than other

Indian states.

35

Literacy rate, 7+ yrsPer cent - Total - 2011

94

80

76

6968 67

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Andhra Pradesh

Source: ORGI, Census 2011

Unimpressive school education attainments also find a reflection in the literacy status of

Andhra Pradesh. At 67% literacy rate, the state is on par with Uttar Pradesh (68%), better than

Madhya Pradesh (69%) and far below its neighbours Kerala (94%), Karnataka (76%) and Tamil

Nadu (80%). The state also has a high gender gap in literacy (15.8%), indicating the low literacy

and education status of women and girls. The gender gap in literacy is higher in rural areas than

urban, indicating a clear drop in literacy levels in rural areas and lack of opportunities for girls

and women.

36

CONCLUSIONAndhra Pradesh presents a mixed picture of development. The state has made significant gains

in all the sectors covered by the atlas but the achievements are restricted to certain geographic

areas and are also not uniformly distributed across all social groups. For example, in the area of

sanitation, the state shows a distinct urban-rural disparity and also has underserved districts

in the northern part such as Srikakulam, Anantpur and Vizianagram. The availability of tapped

water for Srikakulam at 26% against the state average of 67% represents this disparity. While

data show that the state has clearly set up an operatiotional health service delivery system,

it needs to provide comprehensive and complete services such as full immunization and full

antenatal and postnatal coverage to ensure that infant mortality and maternal mortality are

reduced and communities have reliable health services. In education, the state needs to

encourage early enrolment and also arrest dropouts in higher classes so that children achieve

their highest potential. The state also needs to accelerate efforts to stop child labour and child

marriage and carry out communication campaigns to encourage behaviours and practices that

grant an equal status to girls and women.

FOR FURTHER INFIORMATIONDivision for Child StudiesCentre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS)Begumpet, Hyderabad - 500016, Telangana (INDIA)Tel No: +91-40-2340 2789, 2341 6780, 2341 6610/11/12/13.Fax: 91-40-2340 6808e -Mail to: [email protected]

childrendataforall.org/portals/childinfo/andhrapradesh/childinfo...kerala karnataka andhra pradesh...

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