2.
CL 10- DEVELOPMENT
MEANING OF DEVELOPMENT-
Development is a broader term than growth. It is linked with the desire to
improve the present condition.
It includes economic development, good governance, reducing poverty,
illiteracy, etc.
We have aspirations or desires about what we would like to do and how we
would like to live.
WHAT DEVELOPMENT PROMISES — DIFFERENT PEOPLE,
DIFFERENT GOALS
Landless Rural labourers - More days of work and better wages; local
school is able to provide quality education for their children; there is no
social discrimination and they too can become leaders in the village.
Prosperous framers from Punjab - Assured a high family income through
higher support prices for their crops and through hardworking and cheap
laboureres; they should be able to settle their children abroad.
Thus, two things are clear:
1- Different people can have different developmental goals.
2- Development goals can be opposing/conflicting.
What may be development for one may not be development for the other. It may even be
destructive for the other.
To get more electricity, industrialists may want more dams. But this may
submerge the land and disrupt the lives of people who are displaced - such
as tribal. They might resent this and may prefer small check dams or tanks
to irrigate their land.
For development people look at a mix goals- INCOME AND OTHER
GOALS
Besides seeking more income, one-way or the other, people also seek things
like equal treatment, freedom, security and respect of others. They resent
discrimination. All these are important goals.
Example-
(a) If you get a job in a far off place, before accepting it you would try to
consider many factors, apart from income, such as facilities for your family,
working atmosphere, or opportunity to learn.
(b) If there is respect for women there would be more sharing of housework
and a greater acceptance of women working outside. A safe and secure
environment may allow more women to take up a variety of jobs or run a
business.
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition: National Development is an exhaustive term that includes
improvement in the living standard of the people, increase in per capita
income, and providing social amenities like education, medical care, social
services, etc. to the citizens of the country.
How to compare different countries or states development?
For comparing countries, their income is considered to be one of the most
important attributes. But total income is not such a useful measure.
Because-
- Higher-income countries are more developed than lower-income
countries.
- Comparing overall income will not tell us what an average person
makes because - various countries have different populations.
- As a result, we compare countries' average incomes.
Average Income: Countries have different populations, comparing total
income will not tell us what an average person is likely to earn.Hence, we
compare the average income which is the total income of the country
divided by its total population. The average income is also called per capita
income.
Average Income = Total Income of Country / Total Population of Country
In World Development Reports, brought out by the World Bank, this criterion is used in classifying
countries.
Rich countries - per capita income US$ 49,300/annum or above( 2019)
Low-Income Countries- per capita income US$ 2500/annum or less (2019 )
India - per capita income US$ 6700/annum – Low - Middle Income country.
LIMITATIONS OF AVERAGE INCOME AS CRITERIA OF DEVELOPMENT
While ‘averages’ are useful for comparison, they also hide disparities
Based on data given in Table 1.2, calculate the
average income for both the countries. Even
though both the countries have identical average
income, country A is preferred because it has
more equitable distribution. In this country people
are neither very rich nor extremely poor. On the other hand most citizens in country
B are poor and one person is extremely rich. Hence, while average income is useful
forcomparison it does not tell us how this income is distributed among people.
● It only tells about the income of a nation and not the way it is
distributed among the citizens.
● It only takes into account the economic aspect & ignores the other life
and social aspects of life.
All other conditions necessary to become a developed nation are ignored.
Income and other criteria
When we study the Table 1.3 and Table 1.4 we come to know that though
Maharashtra is leading the table 1.3 because it has highest per capita
income among the three countries, but when we compare the same three
States on the basis of development (Table 1.4) we come to know that Kerala
leads the table. Bihar in both the table stands on the last position . The
comparison of the two table gives us the conclusion that Income is not the only criteria for
development, but is one of the most important attribute for development.
Public Facilities
● Those basic facilities which the government provide to its citizens at an
economical rate for the well being of its citizens.
● Public facilities are provided by the government for the betterment of
the community or for collective benefit.
Why the public facilities are important for development?
● Citizens in a country are not of equal standing. Some are rich and some
are poor.
● Money in your pocket cannot buy all the goods and services that you may need to live well.
● In a country, there are many people who cannot afford even the basic
necessities such as food. The government provides them with food
through Public Distribution System (PDS).
● Even if a person has income to suffice his needs, sometimes they too
cannot afford certain facilities. For eg., Money cannot buy you a pollution-free
environment. Money may also not be able to protect you from infectious diseases,
unless the whole of your community takes preventive steps.
Human Development Report
Published by UNDP compares countries based on the educational levels of the people, their health
status and per capita income. By pre-fixing Human to Development, it has made it very clear that what is
important in development is what is happening to citizens of a country.
NOTES
1. HDI stands for Human Development Index. HDI ranks in above table are out of 189 countries in all.
2. Life Expectancy at birth denotes, as the name suggests, average expected length of life of a person
at
the time of birth.
3. Per Capita Income is calculated in dollars for all countries so that it can be compared. It is also
done in a way so that every dollar would buy the same amount of goods and services in any
country.
Sustainability of Development
It means that Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.
Development in future should continue in the same pace in which it is
running now. But it’s tough task. As most of the resources are non-
renewable, in future when these resources will get exhausted, it will affect
the pace of development. Same way resources which are renewable, if they
get polluted they would be of not use in future. For Sustainable development
we would have to ensure better technology which will ensure best use of
resources. Use of substitute goods will ensure the availability of non-
renewable resources for long time.
