Question

Which of the following are known as 'Bimaru' States?
A.Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
B.Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan
C.Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal
D.Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand

Answer 1

Hint:'Bimaru' is the acronym for certain states which are dragging down the GDP of India in the mid-1980s. The term bimaru means 'sick' in Hindi that was used to describe the poor economic conditions of these states.

Complete answer:
'Bimaru' stands for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh. The term was coined by economic analyst Ashish Bose in mid- 1980s to underscore the poor economic conditions within these states. The studies of the UN and several other organizations presented that these states are driving down the growth rate of India. These states lagged far behind the southern states in many indicators including per capita income. These states had exceptionally high levels of mortality, morbidity, fertility, illiteracy, undernutrition and social inequality and sluggish decline in poverty. Also, they had not converged with the national average and largely contributed to the demographic explosion.
When the term bimaru was coined, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were not individual states, they were part of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar respectively. Orissa was not among the Bimaru states but it was reeling under poverty.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: In the mid-1980s, economic analyst Ashish Bose coined the term Bimaru for four poorest states of India. 'Bimaru' stands for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh. The term Bimaru means “sick” was used to highlight the backwardness of these states, which have the worst performance in terms of demographic indicators and significantly contributed to population explosion.