09 Sep , 2022 By : Monika Singh
India’s rank in the global Human Development Index (HDI) slipped marginally to 132, out of 191 countries and territories, in the 2021/22 report, with most countries registering a decline in their HDI value. India’s rank was 131 last year.
However, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report said India’s policies on the 3Is (investment from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics; insurance including social protection; and innovation) hold promise for the rest of the world.
For the first time, the HDI has declined for two years in a row, with 90% of countries registering a decline in their HDI value in 2020 or 2021, in the face of multiple crises like Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and dangerous planetary changes. HDI is a measure of a nation’s health, education and average income.
A large contributor to the HDI’s recent decline is a global drop in life expectancy, down from 72.8 years in 2019 to 71.4 years in 2021.
The report confirmed that a business-as-usual policy and programmatic responses are not tenable in the current circumstances.
“Policies that focus on the 3Is will enable people to thrive in the face of uncertainty. India is already a frontrunner in these areas, with its push towards renewable energy, boosting social security for the most vulnerable and driving the world’s largest vaccination drive through Co-WIN, supported by the UNDP,” said Shoko Noda, UNDP resident representative in India.
Over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million out of multidimensional poverty. The country is improving access to clean water, sanitation and affordable clean energy.
India has also boosted access to social protection for vulnerable sections of society, especially during and after the pandemic, with a 9.8% increase in the budgetary allocation to the social services sector in 2021-22 over 2020-21.
India’s international contributions to sustainable development continue to grow. India is a champion of South-South cooperation and emerged as a major global supplier of Covid-19 vaccines and medicines.
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