Meghalaya Human Development Index

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Meghalaya Human  Development  Index

The State of Meghalaya is situated on the north east of India. It extends for about 300 kilometres in length and about 100 kilometres in breadth. It is bounded on the north by Goalpara, KamrupandNowgong districts, on the east by KarbiAnglong and North Cachar Hills districts, all of Assam, and on the south and west by Bangladesh.

Meghalaya is subject to vagaries of the monsoon. The Average annual rainfall is about 2600 mm over western Meghalaya, between 2500 to 3000 mm over northern Meghalaya and about 4000 mm over south-eastern Meghalaya. There is a great variation of rainfall over central and southern Meghalaya. 

Meghalaya is basically an Agricultural State with about 80% of its total Population depending entirely on agriculture for their livelihood. Rainfall varies from place to place and from altitude to altitude. The amount of rainfall over Cherrapunjee and Mawsynram is quite heavy. During the last two decades, it has ranged from 11,995 mm to 14,189 mm in Cherrapunjee and over Mawsynram it was 10,689 mm to 13,802 mm.

Human Development index:-

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of Quality Of Life. It mainly comprise three components:-

1. A long and healthy life: Life expectancy at birth.
2. Education index: Mean years of schooling and Expected years of schooling.
3. A decent standard of living: GNI per capita (PPP US$)for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare.
   It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

                                   According to Global Hunger Index – 2017, only 9.6 per cent of our children, between 6 and 23 months of age, receive adequate diet and 97 million children in India are underweight! Thus Indian economy is going to face a gigantic problem of unhealthy and unskilled work-force in the future, which will further degrade our Resources into liabilities. Ironically, according to a study, two-thirds of food to feed 600 million poor Indians is lost as  hungry millions do not have enough purchasing power to buy the same. Now, government itself can buy it from farmers with minimum support price (MSP). It will certainly stop the incidence of farmers’ suicides. The excess food can then be distributed to students in addition to the midday meal. This will attract more students to school and address the issues like illiteracy, school dropout, Child Labour, hunger and Malnutrition.

In the Human Development Index (HDI) of India for the year 2011, Meghalaya is ranked 26th with 0.585(Medium) HDI value.

Measures of HDI indicators for Meghalaya:-

1. Mizoram per capita income in 2009-10:- Rs 35,323,
2. Literacy according 2011 census :-84% (24^th rank),the male literacy rate is 77.2 per cent and the female literacy rate is 73.8 per cent. In 2011-12, the state had a total of 43,102 teachers in lower primary & upper primary schools, 4,621 teachers in secondary schools and 526 teachers in higher secondary schools.
3. Education index of Meghalaya :- 0.512,(28^th rank).

Meghalaya, among the eight North Eastern States, is ranked 7th, only above Assam which has 0.534 HDI value in 2011.
Meghalaya’s first HDI report “Meghalaya Human Development Report 2008” was published in 2009, and has been the sole report since to indicate the Health of the State to the world.The report clearly indicated that the rate of development in Meghalaya is slower than in most of the state and hence, been lagging behind while many states have improved their ranking.
The report highlighted that the Health sector is poor and East Khasi Hills tops in HDI and GDI among the districts followed by West Garo Hills.
The report seemed to highlight Meghalaya being significantly behind in almost all sectors in comparison all other states while it failed to furnish full details, which could make it possible to make better comparisons.
Even then, a new report is yet to be furnished.

State-wise HDI score and rank 1992-93 to 2005-06 for north east states:-

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The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. The HDI was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is published annually.

Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. It is the 22nd largest state by area and the 29th most populous state in India. The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong.

The HDI for Meghalaya in 2020 was 0.621, which is in the medium human development category. This means that Meghalaya has a medium level of human development. The HDI for Meghalaya has been increasing over the years. In 2010, the HDI for Meghalaya was 0.571, which is an increase of 8.5%.

The three components of the HDI for Meghalaya are life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, and expected years of schooling. The life expectancy at birth for Meghalaya in 2020 was 70.5 years. The mean years of schooling for Meghalaya in 2020 was 10.2 years. The expected years of schooling for Meghalaya in 2020 was 12.4 years.

The HDI for Meghalaya is lower than the national average of 0.640. This means that Meghalaya has a lower level of human development than the national average. However, the HDI for Meghalaya is higher than the HDI for the least developed countries, which is 0.508.

The HDI for Meghalaya is increasing over the years. This is a positive sign, as it indicates that the state is making progress in improving the lives of its people. However, there is still room for improvement. The State Government should focus on improving the health and education sectors, as well as on reducing POVERTY.

The following are some of the challenges that Meghalaya faces in improving its human development:

• Poverty: The poverty rate in Meghalaya is 25.1%. This means that one in four people in Meghalaya lives below the Poverty Line.
• Health: The infant mortality rate in Meghalaya is 36 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is higher than the national average of 28 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• Education: The literacy rate in Meghalaya is 74.5%. This is lower than the national average of 77.7%.
• Gender inequality: Women in Meghalaya face discrimination in education, EMPLOYMENT, and health.

The state government has taken some steps to address these challenges. For example, the government has launched a number of programs to improve health care and education. The government has also launched a program to reduce poverty.

However, more needs to be done to improve the human development in Meghalaya. The state government should focus on improving the health and education sectors, as well as on reducing poverty. The government should also address the issue of gender inequality.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Human Development Index (HDI) and short answers:

• What is the Human Development Index?
  The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development.

• What are the four tiers of human development?
  The four tiers of human development are: very high human development, high human development, medium human development, and low human development.

• What are the components of the HDI?
  The components of the HDI are: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, and expected years of schooling, and per capita income.

• How is the HDI calculated?
  The HDI is calculated by taking the geometric mean of the normalized indices of life expectancy, education, and per capita income.

• What is the significance of the HDI?
  The HDI is a valuable tool for assessing the progress of human development and for comparing the relative performance of countries in promoting human development.

• What are some of the limitations of the HDI?
  Some of the limitations of the HDI include: it does not take into account inequality within countries, it does not measure non-economic aspects of human development, and it is based on a limited number of indicators.

• What are some of the criticisms of the HDI?
  Some of the criticisms of the HDI include: it is too simplistic, it is biased towards developed countries, and it does not measure the true well-being of people.

• What are some of the alternative measures of human development?
  Some of the alternative measures of human development include the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), the Gender Development Index (GDI), and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

• What is the future of the HDI?
  The future of the HDI is uncertain. Some people believe that the HDI should be replaced with a more comprehensive measure of human development, while others believe that the HDI should be improved and updated.

1. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. Which of the following is not one of the three indicators used to calculate the HDI?
   (A) Life expectancy at birth
   (B) Mean years of schooling
   (C) Expected years of schooling
   (D) Per capita income

2. The HDI was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990. Which of the following is not one of the goals of the HDI?
   (A) To help countries assess their progress in improving the quality of life for their citizens
   (B) To promote a broader understanding of development that goes beyond economic Growth
   (C) To help countries identify areas where they need to improve their performance
   (D) To rank countries into four tiers of human development

3. The HDI is calculated using a formula that takes into account the following three indicators:
   (A) Life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, and expected years of schooling
   (B) Life expectancy at birth, per capita income, and literacy rate
   (C) Per capita income, mean years of schooling, and expected years of schooling
   (D) Per capita income, literacy rate, and life expectancy at birth

4. The HDI is a valuable tool for measuring the progress of countries in improving the quality of life for their citizens. However, it has some limitations. Which of the following is not one of the limitations of the HDI?
   (A) The HDI does not take into account inequality within countries
   (B) The HDI does not take into account environmental sustainability
   (C) The HDI is based on a limited number of indicators
   (D) The HDI is not a perfect measure of human development

5. The HDI has been criticized for not taking into account inequality within countries. This means that two countries with the same HDI can have very different levels of inequality. For example, a country with a high HDI but a high level of inequality may have a small number of people with very high incomes and a large number of people with very low incomes. This can lead to social unrest and political instability.

6. The HDI has also been criticized for not taking into account environmental sustainability. This means that a country with a high HDI may be using its resources unsustainably, which could lead to environmental problems in the future. For example, a country with a high HDI may be using a lot of fossil fuels, which contribute to Climate change.

7. Despite its limitations, the HDI is a valuable tool for measuring the progress of countries in improving the quality of life for their citizens. The HDI can be used to track progress over time, compare countries, and identify areas where countries need to improve their performance.