Development
Development means different things to different people based on their life situations and aspirations. For instance, a landless laborer's goal is more work and better wages, while an industrialist may want more dams for electricity.
What constitutes development for one group may conflict with the goals of another, and can even be destructive. Building a large dam is development for industrialists but displaces local communities.
Besides seeking more income, people also desire non-material things like equal treatment, freedom, security, and respect. A good quality of life depends on a mix of both material and non-material factors.
The most common criterion for comparing countries is their average income, also known as Per Capita Income. It is calculated by dividing the total income of the country by its total population.
The World Bank uses Per Capita Income as its main criterion in its World Development Reports to classify countries into rich and low-income categories. India is classified as a low middle-income country.
While useful for comparison, averages like per capita income hide disparities. A country may have a high average income, but the wealth could be concentrated in the hands of a few, with most people being poor.
Besides income, other important attributes for measuring development include health and education indicators. Key examples are Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Literacy Rate, and Net Attendance Ratio.
This comparison illustrates that a state with a higher per capita income like Haryana can lag behind a state with a lower income like Kerala in crucial health and education indicators, such as a lower Infant Mortality Rate.
Money alone cannot buy all necessary goods and services, such as a pollution-free environment or protection from infectious diseases. Collective provisions like public schools and healthcare are essential for development.
The Human Development Report, published by the UNDP, compares countries based on the Human Development Index (HDI). HDI is a composite index that considers education, health status, and per capita income.
The HDI shows that a country's size is not directly related to its human development. For example, a small country like Sri Lanka has a much higher HDI rank than India.
Sustainability means that development should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It emphasizes the judicious use of resources for long-term progress.
Renewable resources like groundwater are replenished by nature but can be overused. Non-renewable resources like crude oil have a fixed stock and will get exhausted after a certain period of use.
Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a tool used to determine if an adult is adequately nourished. It is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters.