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The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human development report 2013 has torn down and exposed the claims of the Indian Government of the high economic growth and development of the people of this country. India is placed at No.136 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite indicator of health, education and income. Many backward countries of Africa and South East Asia are above India.
India has grown economically, but the condition of the common people has not improved accordingly. In Gross National Income (GNI) India is above many countries, but on HDI, it is below many of them. The worst is the rank in the Gender Inequality Index(GII). In this India ranks much below even of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, our neighbours. See the table below:
Country GNI GII
- India 3285 132
- Sri Lanka 5170 75
- Nepal 1137 102
- Bangladesh 1785 111
- Pakistan 2566 123
With regard to the HDI, India is far below its partners in BRICS Group with Russia (55th), Brazil (85th) and China (101st) with India (136th). Its Human Development Index is below even of Sri Lanka which is having an HDI of 99.
This clearly shows that the benefit of growth in India has not gone to the common people. The saying that the ‘Rich has become Richer and the Poor has become Poorer’ is fully applicable to it. The poor people are not able to get adequate education, health facilities etc.
The Government of India has to open its eyes! This is wake up call for it. Instead of self-praise, it should introspect and concentrate not only the economic growth, but also how the growth is benefitted the poor and common people.