New Delhi, Sep 9 (Representative) India has been ranked 132 out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI) 202-22, as per a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).The latest Human Development Report— ‘Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World’, which was launched on Thursday by UNDP, argues that layers of uncertainty are stacking up and interacting to unsettle life in unprecedented ways. “A large contributor to the HDI’s recent decline is a global drop in life expectancy, down from 72.8 years in 2019 to 71.4 years in 2021. The last two years have had a devastating impact on billions of people worldwide when crises like COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine hit back-to-back and interacted with sweeping social and economic shifts and dangerous planetary changes,” the report said. “These intersecting crises have impacted India’s development trajectory just as they have in much of the world. India’s HDI value of 0.633 places the country in the medium human development category, lower than its value of 0.645 in the 2020 report. HDI measures progress on three key dimensions of human development – a long and healthy life, access to education, and a decent standard of living. It is calculated using four indicators – life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita,” it further said.
“The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises. We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidizing fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make,” said Achim Steiner, Administrator, UNDP.“We are collectively paralyzed in making these changes. In a world defined by uncertainty, we need a renewed sense of global solidarity to tackle our interconnected, common challenges,” added Achim. “Like global trends, in India’s case, the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2019 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy – 69.7 to 67.2 years. India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years, and the mean years of schooling are at 6.7 years. The GNI per capita level is $6,590,” the report stated. “The Human Development Report shows that progress globally is in reverse. India’s decline in human development mirrors this trend – impacted by intersecting crises. But there is good news. Compared to 2019, the impact of inequality on human development is lower. India is bridging the human development gap between men and women faster than the world.
This development has come at a smaller cost to the environment. India’s growth story reflects the country’s investments in inclusive growth, social protection, gender-responsive policies, and push towards renewables to ensure no one is left behind,” said Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative in India. The report further suggested that stress, sadness, anger, and worry have been increasing over the last decade, now reaching record levels. “On average, countries spend less than two percent of their healthcare budgets on mental health, which limits access to mental health services for citizens globally.” The report confirms that a business-as-usual policy and programmatic response are not tenable in the current circumstances. The report recommends implementing policies that focus on three I’s – investment — from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics and insurance—including social protection— to prepare our societies for the ups and downs of an uncertain world. While innovation in its many forms—technological, economic, cultural—can also build capacities to respond to whatever challenges come next. “Policies that focus on the 3Is will enable people to thrive in the face of uncertainty.
India is already a frontrunner in these areas with its push towards renewable energy, boosting social security for the most vulnerable and driving the world’s largest vaccination drive through Co-WIN, supported by UNDP,” added Shoko Noda.Over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million out of multidimensional poverty. The country is improving access to clean water, sanitation, and affordable clean energy. India has also boosted access to social protection for vulnerable sections of society, especially during and after the pandemic, with a 9.8 percent increase in the budgetary allocation to the Social Services sector in 2021-22 over 2020-21.India’s international contributions to sustainable development continue to grow. A leader of the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure, India is a champion of South-South cooperation and emerged as a major global supplier of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. India’s climate leadership is demonstrated by its ambitious targets and commitment to net zero by 2070. The world’s largest democracy is also fast-tracking the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs at the national and sub-national levels to meet the ambitious goals.