Maha leads the country in gadgets, use of internet and civic facilities
13.77% households have computer/laptop with internet connection
The state of Maharashtra is ahead in providing basic civic facilities as per the Economic Survey of Maharashtra (2016-2017). This should come as no surprise since the Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has appreciated the Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation in the National Economic Survey shows that Maharashtra provides drinking water within the premises to 82.79 percent households, where the majority share is from BMC. The national figure is 10 percent lower, with 72.11 percent households across the country have drinking water within premises.
Maharashtra also tops in providing closed drainage, with 69.91 percent households have closed drainage as compared to 56.17 percent across in India.
Maharashtra is interestingly ahead in purchase of electronic goods and gadgets. The economic survey also shows landline users have dwindled to a low, with 3.78 percent households owning one, which is higher than 2.09 percent households across the Indian urban cities that own a landline.
In Maharashtra there are 55.96 households that have refrigerators while 48.34 percent households own refrigerators. Maharashtra tops in computer/laptop with internet facilities. There are 13.77 percent households that have computer/laptop with internet connections, as compared to 9.57 percent households in India with computer/laptop with internet connections.
There are 8.01 percent households in Maharashtra that have computer/laptop with no internet facilities, as compared to 6.36 households across India.
Speaking to FPJ, Abhishek Agarwal, CEO Bold Kiln, and Partner Operator VC said this data can have macro level meaning when the definition of the national driver metric is made clear. “There can be a difference of measuring between Maharashtra and other urban centres, to compare it nationally then we have to understand the details of number of households,” said Agarwal. He elaborated, “What is being counted as household having a refrigerator and air condition has to be seen in per capita and their living behaviour needs to be studied.”
The definition is household in this economic survey, which experts feel that if they are metric per capita then the studies become more interesting. Agarwal believes, “Maharashtra is the centre of financial capital, there has always been prosperity and that naturally has an impact.”
Agarwal cautioned these indicators are hardly pointing towards development. “The survey results are not an indicator of development of the urban centres or the state.”