Development and Disparities in Nepal: Deconstructing the Myth of Equality

Development has become an important global agenda for all countries in the world. It is said that development aims to create equality among citizens and societies in the country as well as in the world. In this context, this paper raises a question whether this modern development process ongoing all over the world including Nepal really creating equality among people and societies or not. Based on large scale survey data available in Nepal this paper examines what the modern development has actually done during the last 5-6 decade period of modern development in Nepal. While doing so this paper identifies 70 different indicators of modern development on education, health, employment, transportation, communication and so on and argues that the modern development has created at least 70 different forms of inequalities among Nepali people rather than equality. This paper further argues that this modern development has not only transforming traditional Nepali society into modern society but also continuously creating multiple forms of inequalities stratifying people into different social categories. We can easily observe these new forms of inequalities, such as illiterate-literate, poor-non-poor, skilled-unskilled, rural-urban, and so on for instance. Moreover, new forms of inequalities will be also be invited in future as well. It can be observed together with the efforts put on achieving sustainable development goals. Within the next 10-15 years, there will be at least 100 different forms of inequalities in Nepali society. This is how development has constructed new social categories in Nepali society. Finally, the paper highlights the fact that the global agenda of modern development process does not only create equality among people and societies but also creates disparities. Therefore, the global development agenda as creating equality among people is just a myth rather than reality.