Chapter 1

Development

Development
It pertains to the growth of an individual, a society, a nation or the entire world.
Development involves thinking about the betterment of life and working towards progress.
Development goals are different for different people according to their needs. What
may be development for one may prove to be destructive for the other. E.g.
Industrialists may require dams for the generation of electricity for propelling their
industries. The same dams may be resented by those who are displaced from their
homes.
Most Common Developmental Goals
Increase in income
Equal treatment
Freedom
Security
End of discrimination
Decent standard of living
All developmental goals are co-related.
National Development
It refers to the progress of the nation as a whole. The policy decisions that benefit a large
section of a countrys population lead to national development.
Attributes of National Development
National Income
It is the sum total of the incomes of all the residents of the country.
Countries with higher incomes are considered more developed than those
with less income.
Per Capita Income
It is the average income earned by each person of the country in a year.
It establishes a relationship between the income and population of a country.
Countries with higher PCI are considered developed as it determines the
amount of money at the disposal of each person of the country.
World Bank uses PCI for classifying countries as developed and developing
in its World Development Report.
However, PCI hides the inequalities in income in the society.
As per the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Indias PCI for the year 2012-13
was approximately Rs. 68,747 (calculated on Advance Estimates of National
Income).
In India, the PCI of Goa is highest while that of Bihar is the lowest.



Infant Mortality Rate
It is the number of children that die before attaining one year of age as a proportion
of 1000 live births in a year.
It indicates the development of health facilities in a country.
In India, Kerala has the lowest IMR while Bihar has the highest.
Literacy Rate
It is the number of people above 7 years of age who are able to read and write with
understanding.
More is the literacy rate, more developed a country will be.
India has a literacy rate of 64%.
Kerala has the highest literacy rate and Bihar has the lowest.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
It is the ratio of the height and weight of a person. It is a major indicator of the health of a
person. If the BMI is less than 18.5, then the person is undernourished and if it is more than
25, then a person is considered overweight.



2
Weight in kg
BMI
Height in m


Human Development Report
Published annually by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) since
1990.
Compares countries on the basis of education levels, health status and per capita
income in order to gauge their development.
Development is measured on the basis of four indices:
Human Development Index (HDI)
Gender-Related Development Index (GDI)
Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM)
Human Poverty Index (HPI)
Of the four, HDI is the most important. It ranks 177 countries of the world on the
basis of three indicators:
Life Expectancy at Birth
Literacy rate for population above 15 years of age and gross enrollment ratio
for the primary, secondary and higher education levels.
Per Capita Income
Indias rank on HDI 2009 is 134 and it is rated as a medium-developing country
with an HDI of 0.612.




Sustainable Development
It refers to a concept of maintaining the present development in such a way that it becomes
available to the future generations. Whatever development is taking place currently must be
sustainable enough that it can be used by the generations to come. Over-utilization of non-
renewable resources has posed a serious threat of their extinction, which means the future
generations will not be able to reap their benefits.