Class 12 Geography

🌱 Introduction

Human development is the process of widening people's choices and improving their well-being. It is not just about economic growth but about enhancing people's lives in terms of health, education, and income.

Development means a qualitative change which is always value positive.

Growth is quantitative and value neutral. It mayhave a positive or a negative sign

📊 Human Development Index (HDI)

HDI is a composite index that measures average achievement in three basic dimensions:

Health: Life expectancy at birth
Education: Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling
Access to resources: is measured in termsof purchasing power (in U.S. dollars)

HDI ranges from 0 to 1, where closer to 1 means higher human development. As of the 2023/24 Human Development Report, India ranks 134th out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI), with an HDI value of 0.644 (2022 data). This places India in the "Medium Human Development" category.

Limitations:

Does not account for inequality, gender disparities, or environmental sustainability.

Overlooks qualitative aspects like political freedom and human rights.

📊 Human Poverty Index

It is a non-income measure.

The probability ofnot surviving till the age of 40,

the adult illiteracy rate,

the number of people who do not have access to clean water, and

the number of small children who are underweight are all taken into account to show the shortfall in human development in any region

🌍 Approaches to Human Development

Income Approach: Focus on income and economic growth.
Welfare Approach: Focus on minimum basic needs like food, housing, and health.The government is responsible for increasing levels of human development by maximising expenditure on welfare
Basic Needs Approach: Emphasis on access to education, health, and clean water.proposed by international labour organisation
Capability Approach: Focuses on people's ability to make choices and live with dignity (introduced by Amartya Sen).

🌐 THE FOUR PILLARS OF HUMANDEVELOPMENT

Equity refers to making equal access to opportunities available to everybody

Sustainability means continuity in the availability of opportunities

Productivity means building capabilities in peoples by increasing their knowledge, or providing better health facilities which ultimately leads to better work efficiency.

Empowerment means to have the power to make choices.

📖 Conclusion

Human development is essential for building an equitable and just society. It goes beyond income to ensure that people live healthy, educated, and meaningful lives.