Socioeconomic and infrastructural vulnerability of Indian population: a district level study

In India, very high disparities exist among different regions, states, and social groups in social, economic, political, and historical factors, leading to differential social vulnerability to disasters. This paper seeks to identify the determinants of social vulnerability in India and the most vulnerable districts using the inductive approach at the district level. The study attempts to assess the regional differences in social vulnerability across districts of India, and it also related these differences to the size of the states. For a better and in-depth understanding of social vulnerability, it has been divided into Socioeconomic and Infrastructural vulnerability. The study found that socioeconomic vulnerability is more pronounced than infrastructural vulnerability, and there are significant regional differences in the degree of social vulnerability within the country. ANOVA analysis and spatial autocorrelation techniques signify a concentration of vulnerability in districts belonging to bigger states, especially the "Empowered Action Group" states which are located in India's Central and East Zones. The main determinants of social vulnerability are found to be dependence on the agricultural and allied sector, the proportion of economically and socially dependent population, levels of education and work participation, and access to basic assets and infrastructure. The most vulnerable districts identified in the study are predominantly tribal districts and require effective interventions to reduce their vulnerability. The study can find wide applications in district-level planning and identifying targets for vulnerability reduction.