GROWTH, POVERTY & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

ABSTRACT

Poverty is a social construct, varies from society to society and from time to time. It has subjective and objective dimensions. Perception about one’s own position of being poor or not poor is not invariably related to having certain material possessions. Such perception is not always metaphysical either. More often than not it is constructed in context with social situation in which one lives and interacts. Generally policy makers and planners evolve objective criteria to measure poverty at a given point of time. Such parameters are in context with socio-economic conditions, availability of resources and the goal that the society has set in to achieve at a given point of time. Today, developed countries have different criteria than underdeveloped countries to measure poverty. There is however consensus at a global level that anyone who does not have minimum required resources/income to meet basic needs – food, shelter and drinking water - for survival is poor.

The concept of human development is complex and of multi dimensions. It is however certain that HD is much more than mere poverty eradication. It requires a situation where people can freely identify and select their choices. In this paper I confined to the concept of Human Development (HD) from the vantage point of policy makers and planners who believe in intervention of the state and civil society for better social order for development of all. The present concept of HD has gained currency with the efforts of the United Nations Development Project (UNDP). Mahbub ul Haq, one of the architects of UNDP,  spells out the concept in the following manner: “ The basic purpose of development is to enlarge people’s choices. In principle, these choices can be infinite and can change over time. People often value achievements that do not show up at all, or not immediately, in income or growth figures: greater access to knowledge, better nutrition and health services, more secure livelihoods, security against crime and physical violence, satisfying leisure hours, political and cultural freedoms and a sense of participation in community activities. The objective of development is to create an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives .

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