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The UN ‘Human Development Report 2016′, released on Tuesday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), placed India at 131 rank out of 188 countries in the global index.
The low rank for India shows how our liberalization has failed to uplift the condition of one third of the population. On health front, the overall life expectancy at birth grew by more than 10 years from the 1990 level, but on women’s empowerment, it remains the most basic challenge to deal with.
Since development is a multidimensional achievement, merely creating wealth in the country will not trickle down to a widespread wealth among the poeple. Basic conditions of housing, water, education, health and justice should be focused equaly to gain a better rank in the Human development Index and India is far away from achieving it.
As Selim Jahan, lead author of the report, said, “In order to advance, we need to examine more closely not just what has been achieved, but also who has been excluded and why.”
The index takes into account the period under both BJP, Congress and again BJP rule at the Centre from 1990 to 2015, in fact one-and-a-half year Modi’s rule as well. So, no political party can pass the buck on the other but retrospect the implications of such a low ranking, which has the potential to unleash both social unrest and political uprising in the future unless addressed immediately.
“Leaving no one behind needs to become the way we operate as a global community. In order to overcome the barriers that hamper both human development and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, inclusiveness must guide policy choices,” said Swedish PM Stefan Löfven.
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said, “The world has come a long way in rolling back extreme poverty, in improving access to education, health and sanitation, and in expanding possibilities for women and girls. But those gains are a prelude to the next, possibly tougher challenge, to ensure the benefits of global progress reach everyone.”
Selim Jahan said there is a systemic discrimination against women, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, among others. The report notes that disadvantages disproportionately affect some groups.
