Development

WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT
Development is the process of growing and becoming better.
Ideas of development differ at an individual and national level.
Example: A landless rural laborer may desire more days of work and
better wages at the individual level, but at the national level, he may
want a good education and health facilities in the local area.
INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
Different People have different developmental goals.
What may be development for one may not be development for
another or maybe even destruction for the other.
INCOME AND OTHER GOALS
1) Material Things - money, car, house, etc...
2) Non-material Things - freedom, security, equality, respect, etc.
Both material and non-material things are equally important or we
can say that for development, people look at a mix of goals
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
It is very important to keep in mind that different persons could have
different as well as conflicting notions of a country’s development.
COMPARING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES
There are two main methods of comparing the development of
different countries - World Development Reports (by World Bank)
and Human Development Report (by UNDP).
[1] World Development Report (World Bank):
World development report is used in classifying nations.
Nations with per capita income of $49,300 per annum and above
are called high income or rich nations.
Nations with per capita income of $2,500 per annum or lower are
called low income or poor nations.
India comes under low middle income with its per capita income
of $6,700 per annum.
Middle eastern nations are excluded from rich nations because of
their vast oil reserves
A few small nations are also excluded from rich nations because
of their less population.
This form of criterion has a few limits also, namely:
Factors like literacy rate, infant mortality rate, health care, etc...
are ignored while classifying nations.
Information about the distribution of unequal income is not
mentioned by the world bank.
The economy of the country cannot determine the development
of the nation.
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[2] Human Development Report (UNDP):
The criterion used by UNDP is different from the one used by the
World Bank because UNDP compared countries based on the
educational level of the people, their health status and per
capita income.
This is in contrast with the method used by the world bank
because the world bank only calculated the per capita income for
measuring development of a nation.
COMPARING THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIFFERENT
STATES
To compare the development of different states, 4 major terms are
used:
[1] Per Capita Income: The average amount of money earned by
each person in a specific area, region, city, or country.
[2] Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): indicates the number of children
that die before the age of one year as a proportion of 1000 live
children born in that particular year.
[3] Literacy Rate: measures the proportion of literate population in
the 7-and-above age group.
[4] Net Attendance Ratio: It is the total number of children of age
group 14 and 15 years attending school as a percentage of total
number of children in the same age group.

PUBLIC FACILITIES
Public facilities refer to essential services and infrastructure
provided by the government for the well-being of the people. These
facilities are crucial for achieving equitable development and
improving the quality of life for all citizens, especially those who
are less privileged.
Public facilities contribute significantly to human development by
improving health, literacy, and overall productivity.
Private sector is mainly driven by the idea of making Profit, so most
of the time, the services offered by private sectors are not
affordable for many.
Public facilities is mainly driven by the government of the idea of
serving the general public and not for profit and is thus more
affordable and has a wider reach in the public.
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SUSTAINABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development is the practice of balancing economic
growth with environmental protection and social equity to ensure
long-term well-being. It ensures that natural resources are used in
a way that they are available for future generations.
Many development activities involve the overuse and exploitation of
natural resources (like fossil fuels, forests, water, etc.), which can
lead to resource depletion. If resources are overexploited today,
future generations may face a shortage, impacting their quality of
life and economic opportunities.
The United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
to guide global efforts in achieving sustainability in economic,
social, and environmental aspects by 2030. These goals aim at
eradicating poverty, ensuring access to clean water and energy,
promoting education, and fostering climate action, all in the
context of sustainability.
In conclusion, Sustainable development is essential to ensure that
economic growth is not achieved at the cost of the environment or
the well-being of future generations. Responsible use of resources
and adopting environmentally friendly practices can help achieve
long-term development goals.
BODY MASS INDEX
Body mass index (BMI) are used by doctors to establish a individuals
nutrition distribution. It is used to calculate if a person if over or
under weight.
BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of the individual (in Kgs) by
the square of the height of the individual (in Meters).
The normal range of BMI is 18.5 to 25.