Punjab Human Development Index:-
Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index of human development in education, longevity or health, and in access to opportunities measured in per capita incomes, with the present status of districts in these parameters related with certain absolute achievement positions, or some desirable achievement positions. This index is a measure of how far a district has travelled, from a minimum level of achievement, and the path still left to travel.
Punjab is considered one of the most prosperous states in India. Although the success of the Green Revolution which was spearheaded by Punjab, made India not only self-sufficient with regard to food grains but also evolved it into a food exporting nation, the prosperity in Punjab has not been uniformly felt across the state. The Punjab State Human Development Report of 2004 highlights the discrepancy in the levels of achievement among the various sections of the society. The Report throws light on the existing successes, areas that need immediate attention and the possible pathways ahead with regard to working for the improvement of health services and facilities, the status of women and children, agriculture, the economy and livelihoods especially those of the marginalized Dalit community of Punjab.
The economic growth of Punjab and many of its social indicators put the state on a unique trajectory. The challenge for Punjab is to derive its growth targets from those achieved by the developed nations and in some cases, from India’s own states. If Kerala has an infant mortality rate of 12, a literacy of over 90 percent, then it is towards these goals that Punjab must strive. If only one out of five Punjabis in Hoshiarpur is illiterate, then we have to strive to ensure that in Bathinda, Sangrur, Firozpur, Muktsar, and Mansa—all of which have female literacy between 45 and 53 percent—female literacy rate rises to match that of Hoshiarpur (76 percent female literacy).
Punjab has reduced the number of its poor (income poverty) to a mere six percent. In health, it is still behind Kerala, whose human development achievements are praiseworthy. And in education, it is among the best performing states of India.However, Punjab’s health and education compare poorly with those of countries like Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Although in general, an individual living in Punjab may enjoy a far higher standard of living than in any other state with the exception of Kerala, there are regions in Punjab where literacy rates are as abysmally low as in some parts of Bihar. There are parts of the state where infants’ lives are lost with greater regularity than in parts of Rajasthan. Agriculture and manufacturing, the backbone of Punjab, are facing declining growth rates and an increase in the relative deprivation of different economic actors. Several sections of the Punjabi community have been left out of the new prosperity. Scheduled Castes still remain agricultural labourers and their literacy is a good 10 percent lower than that of the other communities. The migrant labourer, whose labour supports agriculture, suffers not only from the problems of migration, but is increasingly trapped in debt cycles and bondage. Along with the landless labourer, the crisis of peasant indebtedness affects small and marginal farmers as well. The woman in Punjab has suffered discrimination. The statistics on gender ratio and particularly on Juvenile Sex Ratio imply that male female differential is alarming in Punjab and therefore a great cause of concern. There are three dimensions in the structure of the report. The first speaks of the state of human development
of Punjab, looks at Punjab through its history, both before and since Independence and notes the successes that have been achieved. The second profiles health and education and scrutinises development levels among the poor and marginalised. The third section looks specifically at the fundamental rights and human development of women, children, dalits, migrants and agricultural labourers.
The National Human Development Report (2001) prepared by the Planning Commission, Government of India ranks the State second for HDI 2001 among 15 major States and ranks Punjab 12th for HDI 1991 calculated for 32 States and Union Territories. The Human Development Index (HDI) was developed in UNDP’s first Human Development Report in 1990. The methodology used has undergone many changes over the thirteen years since the first report was published. Apart from the methodology that UNDP uses, countries, individuals, states, and smaller administrative units have been experimenting, changing and improving the composition and methodology of these indices. Geography, data availability and relevance of index components, often change, leading to changes in index methodologies. In India, much work has taken place on changes in the HDI. The National Human Development Report 2001 reflected some of these changes in methodologies. At the state level, in creating their own district-level indices, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have modified UNDP’s methodologies
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