The Hindu : State to publish human development report next week

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Saturday, Jun 01, 2002

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State to publish human development report next week

By Our special Correspondent

MUMBAI MAY 31. Maharashtra, which is ranked fifth among the 15 prominent States on the Human Development Index, is now set to publish its development report next week.

Some key areas, from the human development report, which need "focussed attention'' were released to the media today by Ratnakar Mahajan, Executive Chairman of the State Planning Board.

The human development report, stemming from an MoU signed by Maharashtra, the UNDP and the Planning Commission, has "tried to bring out quantitatively, wherever possible, the status of development'' of Maharashtra's people, the extent of variation and disparity in different aspects of their development and the quality of life they lead.

As Asoke Basak, a senior civil servant involved in the making of the report, said: "It is not a report written by a bureaucrat'' but an attempt at "looking at the truth the way we would all like to'', involving perspectives of many non-officials and experts on the strength of authenticated statistics, including the hitherto unpublished data on district domestic product.

The highlights show the "skewed development'' of Maharashtra which has a bearing on its relatively lower place on the Human Development Index despite a per capita State Domestic Product, which is higher by 40 per cent of the national average.

The urban-centric growth, non-agricultural focus and its "visible consequences have been dealt with.''

To be published on June 4, it speaks of the "substantial incidence of poverty as measured by cereal consumption and calorie intake'' and how "majority'' of its rural and urban population is "under-nourished.''

It has asked that the trends be "reversed, or in the least, the highly undesirable side-effects contained.''

``Given the realities on the ground and the societal experience of the way resources — both human and material — are deployed and used, several areas need focused attention,'' it says urging that water resources be better managed for both drinking and irrigation.

Stabilising farm incomes to discourage migration, empowerment of women by various means including strict enforcement of the legally marriageable age, better targeting of compulsory elementary education, growth of medicare in the public domain by public spending were some of the suggestions made.

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State to publish human development report next week