<h5>What is human development?</h5>  <p>Earlier, economic growth was taken as the sole criterion to measure a country’s development. It was believed that higher economic growth would make it possible for more people to lead better lives. In reality, economic growth failed to ensure the well-being of everyone. Problems like illiteracy, malnutrition, and poverty continued to exist. Subsequently, scholars came up with the idea of human development.</p>
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Human development is described as development that enlarges one’s freedoms as well as capabilities. It does not limit itself to increasing people’s incomes but also attempts to increase their access to health facilities, good education, participation in community life, socio-political rights, environmental sustainability, etc.
</p> <h5>What is the Human Development Index?</h5>  <p>The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) created the Human Development Index (HDI) in 1999. The HDI measures a country’s progress on three dimensions – a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. </p>
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<p>A country’s score is based on its performance on four indicators – life expectancy at birth, average years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI). It gives each country a score between 0-1. A score closer to 1 indicates that the country fares better on human development indicators.</p>
<p>The HDI is released every year in the UNDP’s Human Development Report. The 2021-22 report saw India’s rank slipping from 131 (in 2020-21) to 132. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have seen a decline in their human development efforts. 
</p> <h5>What is the state of India’s human development?</h5>  <p>India’s life expectancy has declined from 69 years to 67 years. This means that, on average, a person born in India today is expected to live till the age of 67, if all conditions in their lives remain the same. In countries with better HDI scores like Sweden, the average life expectancy is 83 years. Did you ever think your country’s development could affect your lifespan? </p>
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<p>As far as schooling is concerned, most children in India do not stay in school long enough to complete their education. While some boys drop out of school so that they can earn money to help their families, some girls stop their schooling because they get married at a young age. Many poor families in our country choose to spend their meagre incomes on buying enough food for their family members, instead of sending their children to school.</p>
<p>Based on the Gross National Income calculations, the average Indian earns $6590 (₹5 lakhs) per year. This has also undergone a slight decline in the past year. But because India has such a large population, this indicator does not accurately represent the incomes of the majority of Indians. 
</p> <h5>What can India do to improve?</h5>  <p>Despite a small dip in India’s rank, there is a lot to be hopeful about. UNDP’s report has commended India for increasing people’s access to clean water, better toilet facilities, and green energy alternatives (e.g. solar, hydro, wind). </p>
<p>India is also making good progress in reducing the human development gap between men and women. Campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ are good examples of the steps taken by our government to achieve gender equality.</p>
<p>Going forward, India should focus on improving its hospitals, increasing access to mental health resources, and encouraging more children to complete their schooling. 
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India slips by a rank in the UNDP’s Human Development Index 2021-22. Let’s read more about the concept of human development and India’s efforts in this direction!

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