Status of Human Development Index

What is the need for Human Development? This research paper seeks to research the reasons for the emergence of the concept of Human Development. ‘Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices’ (HDRO, 1990). The Human Development approach insists that the fundamental aim of development policy should be to expand the opportunities that people have to lead meaningful lives. Economic growth is a means towards this end, not an end in itself. Therefore, the indicators to identify the human development index were amended. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. Amartya Sen, an Indian economist who was awarded the Nobel Prize is known for his fruitful contribution to the Human Development Theory. It is interesting to note that a person who developed the Human Development Theory is a citizen of a country which has a medium Human Development whereas the countries who adopted this approach have a high or a very high Human Development Index. The researcher through this research paper seeks to analyse the status of Human Development in India and what are the reasons for its position in a comparative analysis with other countries. The researcher concludes the research with findings and suggestions