Alipurduar (also known as ‘Dooars’) was a subdivision of Jalpaiguri district before its emergence as
the new 20th district of West Bengal on 25 June 2014. The districts of North Bengal (including
Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda) have been poorly
placed in comparison to the state of West Bengal, in terms of Human Development Indicators: low
literacy level, poor condition in sanitation, and partly availability of electricity and safe drinking
water (Report on Comparative Backwardness of North Bengal Region, Government of India, 2002).
Research on regional disparity is essential for addressing the lacuna in the planning process of
development (Sen, 2001). In the present study, an analysis has been made in terms of the interblock
inequality in socio-economic and infrastructural development of Alipurduar district as a newly
emerged region.