Human Development Report
- Human Development Reports (HDRs) have been released since 1990 and have explored different themes through the human development approach.
- The reports are produced by the Human Development Report Office for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Human Development Index:
- HDI is a composite index that measures average achievement in human development taking into account three indicators:
- Life expectancy at birth (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3),
- Expected years of schooling (SDG 4.3),
- Mean years of schooling (SDG 4.4)
- Gross national income (GNI) (SDG 8.5)
Ranking & HDI Score
- India ranked 130 out of 193 countries in the 2023 Human Development Index (HDI), improving by three positions from the previous year.
- HDI score increased to 685 in 2023, up from 0.676 in 2022.
- India remains in the “medium human development” category, nearing the “high human development” threshold of 700.
Income and Poverty
- Gross National Income (GNI) per capita rose from $2,167.22 in 1990 to $9,046.76 in 2023 (a fourfold increase).
- 135 million Indians moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015–16 and 2019–21.
Health and Life Expectancy
- Life expectancy improved to 72 years in 2023, up from 6 years in 1990.
- Recovery attributed to health initiatives like:
- National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)
- Ayushman Bharat
- Janani Suraksha Yojana
- Poshan Abhiyaan
Education
- Expected years of schooling rose from 2 years (1990) to 13 years (2023).
- Key initiatives contributing:
- Right to Education Act (RTE)
- Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
- National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
- Quality and learning outcomes still require improvement.
Challenges
- Inequality-adjusted HDI loss: India’s HDI is reduced by 7% due to inequality — among the highest in the region.
- Despite improvements in health and education inequality, income and gender disparities remain significant.
- Female labour force participation and political representation are still low.
Progressive Initiatives
- The recent constitutional amendment reserving one-third seats for women in legislatures is expected to catalyse transformative change.
Artificial Intelligence & Human Development
- Report titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI.”
- Highlights AI’s potential to shape future development.
- India seen as a rising global AI power with highest self-reported AI skills penetration
