International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences(IJRESS) Available online at: http://euroasiapub.org Vol. 8 Issue 4, April- 2018 ISSN(o): 2249-7382 | Impact Factor: 6.939 | Regional Gradient Model of Development Potential and Household Level Development of Settlementsin Suti-II Block,Murshidabad District (W.B.) Mohidur Rahaman Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata Abstract Knowledge of regional patterns of development potential and factors that control them is largely conceptual. Regional distribution of infrastructure facilities leadsto regionalvariation in the level of development potential. Maximum infrastructure facilities are found in higher order growth centre resulting higher level development potential. There is gradual decrease of development potential from higher order growth centre to lower order growth centre and dependent settlements.The present work attempts to determine regional gradient of development potential and factors associated with them. Key Words: Infrastructure facility, growth centre, development potential, regional gradient, zone of influence. 1. Introduction Infrastructure facilities of settlements are major determinant of levels of development potential. Infrastructure facilities help in tapping development potential available in remote and backward regions of a country. Infrastructure promotes development of regions by utilizing its development potential (Rekhi, 2018). The settlements availing more infrastructure facilities and can serve own as well as surrounding areas is termed as growth centre. Each growth centre covers a definite area to interact with surrounding area upto certain distance in terms of demand and supply of goods and services. Growth centre provides services and functions to the people of surrounding settlements too. The area over which such an interaction of the growth centre is observed, known as the zone of influence or service area of the growth centre. In other word, the area from where people interact with a particular focal point or growth centre is the service area of the respective growth centre. The term service area is also known by different name like, zone of influence. The zone of influence or service area is the product of centrality score of the growth centre (Wanmali 1972). The delineation of service area of the growth centresrequires the estimation of population and area that depend on it. Such estimation requires a study of the consumers’ traveling behaviour and their preference for a specific growth centre.The consumers have to travel longer distance to avail the basic infrastructure facilities because they have lack of infrastructure facilities. This fact leads the regional gradient of development potential of settlements.From geographic point of view one of the most important common features of development of the country is a significant sharpening of regional disparities in achieved level of socio-economic development (Hampl et al. 2001; Bachtler et al. 2000; Blazek, et al. 2005). Many studies on regional development focused that one of the key factors of regional development in the period of transition is the geographic position of the regions (Blazek, 2004; Dostal and Hampl, 2002; Illner, 2001; Bachtler et al. 2000; Gorzelak, 1996 etc.).Some studies (Fleisher International Journal of Research in Economics & Social Sciences 756 Email:- [email protected], http://www.euroasiapub.org (An open access scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, monthly, and fully refereed journal.) International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences(IJRESS) Available online at: http://euroasiapub.org Vol. 8 Issue 4, April- 2018 ISSN(o): 2249-7382 | Impact Factor: 6.939 | and Chen 1997, Mody and Wang 1997, and Demurger 2001) have found an indirect route to assess the role of geography in regional growth by focusing on policy measures that are undertaken to overcome geographical obstacles to trade, notably differences such as infrastructure investment in communications, e.g., roads, railway, waterways, and telephones. These studies found that infrastructure investment has a statistically significant positive impact on growth. Improving infrastructure to overcome geographic barriers is fundamental to increasing growth, but increasing human capital formation (education and medical care) is also crucial because only it can come up with new better ideas to solve centuries-old problems like unbalanced growth (Demurger et. al. 2002). The present work attempts to determine the factors of regional gradient and levels of development potential of settlements in the study area. 2. Database and Methodology The present work has been made by both primary and secondary sources of data. The secondary data has been collected from Census of India 2011 and primary data has been collected through well designing survey schedule. Field survey method is more reliable, rational and authentic method for ground truth of level of development potential of settlements. After an intensive empirical observation and analysis regarding the distribution of facility and potential of development, it has come to be true that Suti-II block is the least developed block in the district. The levels of development potential measured through the composite development index.The development potential index has been constructed as a composite index of each variable under study (Ali et. al. 2009). The model of measuring composite index of development potential is as follows: 푋 1 푋 2 푋 푛 퐶퐼 =X + X ………X 1훿1 2훿2 n훿푛 Where, CI refers to the Composite Index, X is the weighted value of variables 푋 is the mean of variables δ denotes standard deviation of variables. On the basis of composite index, the raw data of each variable has been transferred into standard value and their composite index has been taken to examine the index of development of each settlement. 3. Study Area Suti-II block is located in the north of the Murshidabad district, at about 75 km. road distance from Berhampore i.e., district headquarters. It extends from 24°35′53″ N to 88°02′02″ E. It is noteworthy that this block is located near to Ganga River and near to Bangladesh boarder. The block is entirely rural area consisting of 37 inhabited and 11 uninhabited settlements. It has a total population of 278922 persons i.e., 4.26 percent population of the district (Census of India 2011). International Journal of Research in Economics & Social Sciences 757 Email:- [email protected], http://www.euroasiapub.org (An open access scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, monthly, and fully refereed journal.) International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences(IJRESS) Available online at: http://euroasiapub.org Vol. 8 Issue 4, April- 2018 ISSN(o): 2249-7382 | Impact Factor: 6.939 | Discussion and Analysis 4. Spatial analysis of infrastructure facilities The level of development potential is largely depends on availability of infrastructure facility. There is only 34facilities are found in the case study block. Spatial analysis of existing facilities is based on the standard statistical techniques i.e., Mather's model of mean spacing. Table 1 reveals that primary school is closely located to each other with mean spacing 1.13km. of the settlements. In Suti-II block 83 primary schools are distributed among 36 inhabited settlements,and each unit provides primary education facility to the average population of 3361 persons. Total 10 higher secondary schools are located in the block serving to the average population of 27892 persons. It is located at the mean spacing of 3.26 km. The block has one degree college. Medical facilities are few in number i.e. why people travel a long distance to avail health facility. Total 03 hospitals and 39 dispensaries provide health facility in Suti-II block. They are located at the mean spacing of 5.96 km. and 1.65 km. apart from each other respectively. Table 1 further reveals that total 14 post offices are distributed in 14 inhabited settlements facilitating to the average population of 19923 persons in the block. The settlements having post office are located at the mean spacing of 2.76 km. In the block 28 settlements have pucca road facility with their mean spacing 1.95 km. The regular market is located at 2.25 km. of mean spacing of settlements. Each regular market serves to 13,282 persons on an average (Table 1). Total 9 commercial banks are distributed in 6 settlements, serving an average population of 30991 persons in the block. Each commercial bank is located at the mean spacing of 3.44 km. (Table 1). Agricultural marketing and credit societies are located at 3.90 km. and 3.11 km. apart from each other respectively.Three public library serves to an average population of 92,974 persons in the case study block. Each public library is located at the mean spacing of 5.96 km. It is also found from the Table 1 that the block has one unit of each TB clinic, veterinary hospital, degree college, police station and block head quarter. 5. Levels of development potential of settlements in Suti-II block Levels of development potential have been measured in Suti-II block (case study block) of Murshidabad district. Here in case study block too, the development potential has been measured on the basis of availability of infrastructure facilities. Regional disparities in the levels of development potential have been examined at village level or micro-level. Existing 35 socio-economic variables have been taken for the analyses are density of population (‘000