Jumping three places to the 10th rank in 2011-12 nationwide in the Human Development Index (HDI) as against 13th in 2004-05 is certainly creditable, but Telangana State needs to formulate policies to suit the social structure skewed against the SC/STs, BCs and minorities.
This was emphatically stated in the HD Report - Telangana prepared by the Centre for Economic & Social Studies (CESS). Though Telangana government policy goals converge with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), benchmarking the human development status would help it monitor the progress, it said.
The Government needs to reassess needs and identify concerns in the context of inequalities across social groups, districts and the rural-urban divide. A positive outcome of the study, which took two years in the making and presented by CESS Director S. Galab at the release function a few days ago, showed that the socially vulnerable groups showed faster growth.
While rural-urban inequalities had declined, social groups across the spectrum had shown higher HDI in urban areas than in rural areas. Absolute values for men and women had increased, gender gap had narrowed in spheres of income, education and health, except in Adilabad.
Growth & development
Relationship between economic growth and human development growth had weakened in 2011-12 as compared to 2004-05 and growth in the former should have been three times more to have the same development index in the latter.
This can be arrested by allocation of more funds to health and education leading to enhanced labour productivity. Inclusive economic growth along with State interventions through income enhancement and social security programmes had helped districts with lower growth improve the HDI status.
Education and health
Poor learning outcomes, inefficient and inadequate utilisation of Government schools infrastructure is causing a high dropout rate of children and remains a big challenge, despite positive response to policies to enrol children. Situation is similar in health sector too with wide variations in districts from Hyderabad (Maternal Mortality Rate - MMR) to Adilabad. Higher percentage of children were stunted in Khammam and Adilabad having more tribal population and in the bottom Human Development Index districts of Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar and Medak. There could be severe pressure on addressing maternal, new-born and child health services in the coming years.
Inequalities
Rate of decline of inequalities in the Human Development Index across caste groups was considerably higher from 2007-08 than during 2002-04 and 2007-08. Sustaining this decline is a big challenge. The difference in standard of living between 2004-05 and 2011-12 too is higher for most districts .
Sustainability
High incidence of natural resource deprivation is pronounced with overdrawing of groundwater, lower forest base and high moisture stress. It is equally bad with regard to availability of safe drinking water and toilets facility in households with wide variation among districts.
Challenges
Higher and inclusive growth should be the key for HDI with decentralised method of financing. Educational and health institutions need structural reforms even while addressing the issues concerning the SC/STs.
Decentralised model
The report observed that the decentralised new social framework sustainable development model of Telangana government is radically different from the method pursued in the undivided Andhra Pradesh State and hence has the potential to improve the capacity to finance development, economic growth and the HDI linkages.
Published - May 02, 2017 02:59 am IST
