Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

State HDI higher than national average

By V. Jayanth

CHENNAI Aug. 9. Tamil Nadu's Human Development Index is 0.657, compared to the national average of 0.571, according to the State's first Human Development Report published recently. The report of the Union Planning Commission places the State third, with an HDI of 0.531, in a list of 15 major States.

In the report, the State has constructed HDI for all 29 districts using the UNDP methodology. Chennai takes the top position, while Dharmapuri ranks last. The HDR has also looked at Gender Development Index, which is estimated at 0.654 for Tamil Nadu, against 0.560 at the national level (2002).

But the report has called for a `gender policy', emphasising equality for women, with a focus on ensuring higher wages, expanding non-farm activities, equality in health and education and drawing up a blueprint for effective prevention of crimes against women.

The report, published by the State Planning Commission and Social Science Press, says Tamil Nadu's focus in the next decade should be on "reaching levels attained by Kerala in health and education, while aiming at increasing levels of the State Domestic Product to those of Punjab or Maharashtra to reduce poverty and inequality".

Tamil Nadu is the sixth State, and only the second in the south, to release an HDR.

Profiling the State, the report notes that its population had reached about 62 million in the 2001 census, compared to 55.9 million in 1991. The sex ratio worked out to 986 in 2001, against 974 in 1991 and 977 in 1981. The State per capita income, which was below national average in 1980s, crossed that mark in 1991-92 and has maintained the trend. At Rs. 19,889, it ranks fourth, after Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana. As such, it tops southern States - Kerala (Rs.19,463), Karnataka (Rs. 18,041) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs. 16,373).

The State has made "impressive strides" in some major health indicators. The annual population growth rate for 1981-91 was just 1.43 per cent, second only to Kerala (1.34 per cent), compared to the national average of 2.14 per cent.

The report points out that in a State where 65 per cent of the population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture for a living, generating employment or enhancing income levels should centre around the primary sector's contribution to the SDP, which fell from 24.82 per cent in 1993-94 to 18.16 per cent in 1999-2000. While ensuring food security with stabilisation of rice cultivation on about two million hectares, commercial crops with a market advantage should be encouraged. The HDR made a cautionary note on the need for social security for the aged. According to an estimate, the State's share of the elderly may go up to 11.43 per cent by 2011 and the problem has to be tackled holistically.

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