The Hindu Business Line : India at 127th slot in UNDP human development index

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has assigned India among the medium human development countries putting it in the 127th slot, a notch higher than Botswana but lower than Namibia among the 177 countries in tracked progress in human development.

The UNDP-commissioned Human Development Report 2004, launched here by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Culture, Mr S. Jaipal Reddy, to coincide with global publication, has developed the human development index (HDI) focussing on three measurable dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living.

By measuring average achievements in health, education and income, the HDI could give a more complete picture of the state of a country's development than could incomes alone. Bolivia, with a much lower GDP per capita than Guatemala, has achieved a higher HDI because it ahs done more to translate that income into human development. Sri Lank ranks 96 of 177 countries in HDI, much higher than its GDP rank of 112, highlighting the importance of policies that convert wealth in to human development.

Thus as per the 2004 HDR, India's life expectancy at birth in the year 2002, the latest available, was 63.7 years, adult literacy rate (percentages 15 and above) was 61.3, combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools was 55 per cent and GDP per capita (purchasing power parity basis) was 2670 dollars. UNDP said the countries with the worst disparities between their GDI (gender-related development index) and HDI values, include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Pakistan, Yemen and India "indicating a need for greater attention to gender equality". Sweden, Denmark, Australia, Latvia and Bulgaria have the closest correspondence between HDI and GDI.

Stating that progress in human development during the 20th century was dramatic, it said between 1960 and 2000 life expectancy in developing countries increased from 46 to 63 years. Mortality rates for children under five were more than halved. Between 1975, when one of every two adults could not read and 2000, the share of illiterate people was almost halved. Real per capita incomes more than doubled from $2000 to $4000. Yet massive human deprivation remains, it said adding that more than 800 million people suffer from under-nourishment. Some 100 million children who should be in school are not, 60 million of them girls. More than a billion people survive on less than one dollar a day.

The report notes that an unprecedented number of countries saw development slide backwards in the 1990s. IN 46 countries people are poorer today than in 1990. In 25 countries more people go hungry today than a decade ago.

These reversals could also be seen clearly in the HDI and this is particularly disturbing, it said adding that countries are depleting their basis for development — their people who are their real wealth. Since 1990, 20 countries have suffered a reversal in the HDI in contrast to three only saw their decline in the 1980s.

The reversals in these countries, together with stagnation in others, do much to explain the overall deceleration in HDI progress in the last decade. Of the 20 countries experiencing reversals, 13 are in sub-Saharan Africa.

This year's theme of HDR is "Cultural liberty in today's diverse world" and it argues that accommodating people's growing demands for their inclusion in society, for respect of their ethnicity, religion and language takes more than democracy and equitable growth.

The report offers some concrete ideas on the means to build and manage the politics of identify and culture in a manner consistent with the bedrock principles of human development.

The Nobel Laureate, Prof Amartaya Sen, who provided the conceptual framework of the report has written the first chapter. This year's HDR advocates an approach that respects and promotes diversity while keeping countries open to global flows of capital, goods and people in tune with globalisation principle government international economic scenario.

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