Recent UNDP’s Human Development Report
Posted : July 26, 2004 at 10:01 am [IST]
Development is ultimately a ”process of enlarging people’s choices”, not just national incomes. The main theme of the report was Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World. So culture as the broad issue, India has many things that the other counties can follow. India lived and prospered in its diversity for ages. Diversity of India is its strength. And our culture has evolved from this diversity. During pre-independence period, some vested interests started exploiting to divide the nation and that resulted in partition. Though it is difficult to forget that nightmare, but for the survival of our nation it is essential that this region including Pakistan and BanglaDesh remains united and one in spirit. The communities have a long history of living in peace and harmony. It is the main responsibility of all responsible and educated persons to keep the restraint on all provocations from vested interests. The overall climate seems to be good and is expected to improve further.
The latest UNDP report confirms the strength of India- “India has debunked the myth that diversity is bad for development. India has managed its diverse culture with pluralist policies and 15 official languages and made remarkable growth in health and education.” Some of the other key points are:
” India has a three-language formula - children are taught in the official language of the state they live in and also Hindi and English
” Policies of secularism in the Constitution enable positive intervention
” On the economic indicator front, the country has managed to retain its position at 127.
” Despite India showing improvement on two major parameters - life expectancy and adult literacy rate - its ranking could not improve as other nations saw a much healthy growth in the social sector parameters.
” Another factor was falling GDP because of the 2002 drought. The index was static mainly due to the decline in GDP per capita PPP to $2,670in 2002 from $2,840 in 2001. The life expectancy ratio improved to 63.7 in 2002 from 63.3 in 2001, while adult literacy rate went up to 61.3 from 58 in the previous year. Enrolment ratio in schools, however, came down marginally to 55 during 2002 from 56.
I do not know how we shall be performing in this year of flood and drought. But India has all strength to overcome the ill effects of natural calamities and the future can never be anything but bright.
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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