BIMARU States
The name tag coined by Ashish Bose may be a poetically accurate one. But it must surely hurt the folks residing therein or hailing from these places. Not that the term would have been meant in any derogatory sense, but rather to highlight the states that the Indian Central government and the respective state governments needed to work upon, with alacrity.
BIMARU's High Fertility Rates Pulling India Lower?
As per the 2010-11 reports, the fertility rates in the BIMARU states were between 3 and 4. Bihar's had been 2.9. (No wonder Nitish Kumar gave his now infamous sermon) Contrast this with the national average which was 2.5. Thus, there are even states which may be facing a negative trend thanks to its majority community having a fertility rate less than the threshold rate of '2.1'.
Some Silver Lining
It is a fact that over the decades since Independence, BIMARU states have diluted India's efforts to become a middle-income country. But even as we can cry hoarse over the BIMARU (2011 figures) states' inability to rein in population growth, we also have to talk of 'Democratic Dividend'. Much of the positivity around India as a growing economic power (with a growing consuming class and investors wishing to invest) is the huge population that would be entering or ready to enter the workforce in the coming few years.
BIMARU Getting RUMBA
There are negative connotations of a BIMARU like tag. The positive aspects of a glamourous name and the improved reality of (development) showcased by these states in recent years, have even encouraged some to suggest alternatives like MUDRA (meaning a pose as in yoga/ Bharata Natyan or a royal seal) or RUMBA (legendary beautiful celestial damsel often spelt Rambha). The latter's case may be strengthened because its supporters may feel besides being photogenic, RUMBA is also phonetic-genic.
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