The Development Strategy and Problem of Backwardness

Lec# 6

What makes a country developed?The obvious indicators are the wealth of the nation, the

prosperity of its people and its standing in the international forum.

There are many indicators regarding the wealth of a nation: the gross national product (GNP), the gross domestic product (GDP), the balance of payments, foreign exchange reserves, rate of economics growth, per capita income, and so on.

In addition, it provides an idea about the strength of economy and its ability to sustain the wealth created and to create more.

Economic indicators are important, but they provide only a part of the picture. The numbers, impressive though they may appear, can veil considerable human misery, especially that of the common people.

People and DevelopmentMany parameters are utilized to indicate people welfare:o how well people are fed; o their overall nutritional status; o the availability of good nutrition during various phases of their growth and

lives; o the average life expectancy; o the infant mortality rate; o the availability of sanitation; o the availability of drinking water and its quality; o the quantum of living space; o broad categories of human habitat; o the incidence of various diseases, o dysfunctions, disorders or disabilities; o the access to medical facilities; o literacy; o the availability of schools and educational facilities; o various levels of skills to cope with fastchanging economic and social

demands; etc.

Gandhiji CriteriaGandhiji’s strikingly simple criterion was that

every action proposed or contemplated, should in its implementation wipe the tears of a poor and downtrodden person.

He emphasized that only when we have wiped the tears from the faces of all, have we truly arrived as a nation.

Major ProblemsPovertyIlliteracyEnvironmental DegradationRegional Imbalances