Introduction

The human development paradigm introduced in the early 1990s sought to shift focus from national income as the only indicator of development to expanding the choices people have. The concept of human development was introduced by UNDP in 1990 in the first global Human Development Report. In India, this coincided with a period of rapid growth and rising inequalities, where a need was felt to reinforce the idea that people matter, and India welcomed the concept of human development. Today, India is acknowledged globally as having the largest body of work on human development reporting at the sub national levels in the form of State Human Development Reports (SHDRs) and District Human Development Reports (DHDRs).

Human & Gender Development

The Human Development paradigm defines development as a process of enlarging people’s
>> Equality of opportunity for all
>> Sustainability of such opportunities from one generation to the next
>> Empowerment of people so that they participate in - and benefit from - development process.
Human development is defined as the process of enlarging the choices for all people, not just one part of the society. Such a process becomes unjust and discriminatory if most women are excluded from its benefits. Gender equality is therefore a core principle of human development.

Gender Equality

Gender Equality has many dimensions:
>> Equal access to basic social services, including education and health.
>> Equal opportunities for participation in political and economic decision-making.
>> Equal reward for equal work.
>> Equal protection under the law.
>> Elimination of discrimination by gender and violence against women.
>> Equal rights of citizens in all areas of life, both public such as the workplace and private such as the home.

it was assumed that development was gender-neutral that both men and women could benefit equally from development, and that the benefits of development interventions spread evenly across society. This has now been shown to be a myth the historical legacy of gender inequality in all societies across the world implies that there is no “level playing field”.
The UNDP 1995 Global Human Development Report attempted to capture gender inequalities through the Gender Related Development Index (GDI), which is essentially the HDI adjusted for gender inequalities, with a GDI of 1 reflecting an absolute equality in the respective attainments of men and women. This Report also introduced the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) – which is a measure of the extent to which men and women are able to actively participate in economic and political decision-making and in the professional/work arena. The GEM reflects the extent to which men and women can achieve and use their inherent capabilities to take advantage of development opportunities

Population Policy, Women & Child Sex Ratio

The data from the 'Ministry of Health & Familly Welfare, Gol' and the 'Statstical Yearbook UNESCAP' (as referred by the Economic Survey 2014-15) conclude shows a renewed focus on controlling the rise in population, directed in particular at women, and through means that blur the lines between persuasion and coercion. Persuasion takes the form of incentives offered not just to poor couples for sterilisation but rewards to local bodies for their performance, euphemistically described as 'promotional and motivational' measures, resulting in the organization of mass camps for female sterilization. India's population policy seems focused on extending family planning measures, mainly contraceptives for women, leaving them with little reproductive choice or autonomy. The data from the official sources paint a very grim picture in this regard:
(i) The November 2014 tragedy in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh in which 13 young women with very young children lost their lives, and forty-five more were taken critically ill, highlights a specific and serious problem that needs urgent attention, female sterilisation.
(ii) The 3rd Round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3, 2005-06) reports that even in developed states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra female sterilisation accounts for 90 per cent and 76 percent of all contraceptive use, respectively; the median age at sterilisation for women was reported at 24.9 years in both Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
(iii) Of the total sterilisation operations performed in 2012-13, tubectomy/ laproscopic sterilisations account for 97.4 percent, while male vasectomy operations, considered less complicated risky, account for only 2.5 percent.
(iv) Government expenditures are also skewed toward female sterilization. Out of the budget of Rs 397 crores for family planning for 2013-14, 85 percent (Rs.338 crore) is spent on female sterilization. By contrast 1.5 percent of the total budget is spent on spacing methods and 13 percent on infrastructure and communications.

The Fallouts of Population Policy

The negative fallouts of pursuing a population policy that largely focuses on birth control also contributes to declining child sex ratios-if every family is to have fewer children, there is a greater anxiety that at least one of them should be male. In this instance, there may be a case for the government to undo as much as to do for example, by not setting targets expected levels of achievement (ELA), withdrawing incentives for female sterilization and for mass camps. In addition, the Economic Survey 2014-15 suggested the following actions to the government:
(i) Review the family planning program and re-orient it in such a way that it is aligned with reproductive health rights of women, and needs oflndia's population.
(ii) Increase budgets for quality services, static family planning clinics and quality monitoring and supervision.
(iii) Address youth needs, induct more counsellors for sexual health, more youth­ friendly services, and adequate supply of spacing methods.

Poverty Estimates

Since India commenced the process of economic reforms, a major shift has taken place in the country's poliy-orientation towards poverty alleviation and employment generation-in place of wage employment, the focus has shifted to self-employment - so that 'gainful employment' could be created and poverty could be alleviated permanently
Based on Economic Survey of 2014-15 the poverty in the country (for the year 2011-12), These estimates have been prepared following the Tendulkar Committee methodology (2009) using household consumption expenditure survey data collected by the NSSO in its 68th Round (2011-12). Over a span of seven years, between 2004-05 and 2011-12
>> The total poverty declined from 37.2 to 21.9 per cent.
>> Rural poverty declined sharper from 41.8 to 25.7 per cent.
>> Urban poverty declined from 25.7 to 13.7 per cent.

Promoting Inclusive Growth

The focus of the Indian development planning has been on formulation of programmes and policies aimed at bringing the 'marginalized and poor sections' of society into the mainstream. The government has been implementing many such programmes for social and financial inclusion. The disbursement of benefits needs a systematic channel which will provide for financial empowerment and make monitoring easier and the local bodies more accountable. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY) launched in August 2014 and the RuPay Card (a payment solution), are important schemes in this regard. These two schemes are complementary and will enable achievement of multiple objectives such as financial inclusion, insurance penetration, and digitalization.
Given the multiple schemes implemented to foster inclusive growth, the role of Panchayati Raj institutions is critical. India needs to strenghten this as an enabling tool to realise enhance inclusion in the development process.

Strengthening the PRls

The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments marked a watershed in the history of decentralized governance, planning, and development in India as these made panchayat bodies the third tier of government with reasonable power and authority in addition to creating space for women and marginalized groups in the federal set-up. Decentralized democracy was also extended to Fifth Schedule areas through the provisions of another Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 known as the Extension Act which not only made the gram sabha a strong body, but also put 'Jal jungle, and Jamin' (water, forest, and land) under its control.
These central acts, however, instead of clearly specifying the powers and functions of panchayats and municipalities, have left it to the discretion of state governments. Articles 243 G and 243 W of these acts decree that the legislature of a state may, by law, endow the panchayats/municipalities with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self­ government. Such law may also contain provisions for devolution of powers and responsibilities upon panchayats/municipalities, subject to such conditions as may be specified therein, with respect to the preparation of plans and implementation of such schemes for economic development and social justice as may be entrusted to them. These may include inter alia schemes and plam in relation to socio-economic development and providing basic services as listed in the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules of the Constitution.
Article 243 ZD of the 74th Amendment Act providing for constitution of district planning committees (DPC) by the state government in every district is a milestone in decentralized planning with people's participation. These committees are expected to consolidate the plans prepared by the panchayats and municipalities in the district and prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. DPCs have been set up in most of the states. Much of implementation of these panchayat acts, i.e., power-sharing with panchayat bodies, is left to the states. Over the years, the panchayat bodies have not been strengthened in terms of functions, finances and fonctionaries (triple Fs) with regard to preparation of plans and the listed subjects. The Economic Survey 2014-15 suggests the following steps dowards strengthening the PRis:
>> The panchayat bodies have the potential to become true vehicles for carrying out the government's slogan of "less government-more governance" if states show consensus.
>> In order to convert outlays of the local­ centric programmes into outcomes, these institutions need greater awareness, respomibility, and accountability, which will also enable better connect of these programmes with the common man.
>> Greater devolution of powers to the panchayats and municipalities is need of the hour, in respect of the 'triple Fs' in a phased manner.
>> Majority of panchayat/municipality­ centric programmes do have earmarked funds for awareness generation and capacity building. These funds across ministries need to be pooled together under the Panchayati Raj Ministry and Ministry of Urban development to make infrastructure and capacity building of panchayats and municipalities a continuous and regular process.
These steps will create the following possibilities in the local bodies:
(a) Enable them to understand not only their role and rights but also their responsibilities and will make them accountable, bringing about qualitative improvement in governance at decentralised level.
(b) Transform them into vibrant imtitutiomandenablethemto perform their envisaged role in participatory planning, implementation, execution monitoring, and supervision and also carry out social audit of all panchayat/ municipality-centric programmes.

Demographics

The population of India has gone for some major changes in the recent decades. These changes have not only restructured the contours of Indian demographics but have brought new openings and challenges regarding it:

1. As per provisional results of Cemus 2011, the following facts regarding the Indian population dynamics are of high importance. The 2001-11 is the first decade in independent India wherein, the population momentum coupled with declining fertility has dampened the pace of net additions to population. Thus, the net addition in this decade is less than that of the pervious decade by 0.86 million. At present, a little more than one out of every six persons in the world is an Indian.

2. As per Sample Registration System-2013
(SRS) data-
(a) There has been a gradual decline in the share of population in the age group 0-14 from 41.2 to 38.1 per cent during 1971 to 1981 and from 36.3 to 28.4 per cent during 1991 to 2013.
(b) On the other hand, the proportion of economically active population (15- 59 years) or, India's 'demographic dividend', has increased from 53.4 to 56.3 per cent during 1971 to 1981 and from 57.7 to 63.3 per cent during 1991 to 2013.
(c) On account of better education, health facilities, and increase in life expectancy, the percentage of elderly (60+) has gone up from 5.3 to 5.7 per cent and 6.0 to 8.3 per cent respectively in the same two periods.
(d) The growth rate of the labour force will continue to be higher than that of the population until 2021.

3. According to an Indian Labour Report
(Time Lease, 2007)-
(a) 300 million youth will enter the labour force by 2025, and 25 per cent of the world's workers in the next three years will be Indians.
(b) Population projections indicate that in 2020 the average age of India's population will be the lowest in the world-around 29 years compared to 37 years in China and the United States of America, 45 years in West Europe, and 48 years in Japan.
(c) Consequently, while the global economy is expected to witness a shortage of young population of around 56 million by 2020, India will be the only country with a youth surplus of 47 million (Report on Education, Skill Development and Labour Force (2013-14) Volume II Labour Bureau, 2014).

Socio-Economic and Caste Census

The identification of the real beneficiaries is of paramount importance, for the success of any targeted approach. In line with this approach the Dr. N. C Saxena Committee was constituted to advise on the 'methodology for a BPL census in rural areas'. Since June 2011, for the first time, a Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) is being conducted through a comprehensive 'door-to-door' enumeration in both rural and urban India, authentic information is being made available on the socio-economic condition and educational status of various castes and sections through the SECC.
This exercise will help better target government schemes to the right beneficiaries and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered, while all ineligible beneficiaries are excluded. Households identified as highly deprived will have the highest inclusion priority under government welfare schemes. Use of the Aadhar number in various beneficiary-oriented social sector programmes will also check duplications.
The SECC 2011 is being conducted simultaneously for rural and urban areas by the respective states, with technical and financial support from the Gol. Enumeration is to be done with the help of about 6 lakh enumerators, who are accompanied by an equal number of technically qualified and computer literate Data Entry Operators (DEO) selected by the country's premier IT majors. The Ministry of Rural Development in association with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Office of the Registrar General oflndia (RGI) and the states have shouldered the responsibility of training the enumerators, supervisors, verifiers, and state officials engaged in the census operation. The SECC process ensured transparency and people's participation.
Before finalizing the outcomes, the household data, except caste data, will be placed in the public domain for scrutiny and go through a two-stage appeal procedure in the 'claims and objections' stage. In rural areas, the Gram Sabha will also mandatorily scrutinize the data in a specially convened meeting.
An Expert Committee was also set up to examine the SECC indicators and the data analysis and recommend appropriate methodologies for determining classes of beneficiaries for different rural development programmes. It will consult states, experts, and civil society organizations while arriving at these methodologies.