Karnataka ranks higher than India in Human Development Index

Karnataka ranks higher than the country in the Human Development Index (HDI).

According to Karnataka Human Development Report 2005 released by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Karnataka’s HDI position at the international level was 120 while India’s position had been pegged at 127.

HDI is a composite index comprising life expectancy, educational attainment and per capital real GDP.

However in India, Karnataka has taken the seventh position in HDI below Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana. The HDI of Karnataka had increased from 0.541 in 1991 to 0.650 in 2001.

A unique feature of Karnataka’s Human Development Report is the Gender Development Index (GDI), which measures the levels of women’s human development relative to men. Though the 0.637 GDI in Karnataka is much higher than the All India figure of 0.609, Karnataka is placed in the sixth position in the country. GDI measures the same variables as HDI but this index is gender sensitive.

The growth rate of the economy between 93-94 and 02-03 was 6.84 per cent. If the growth rate in the manufacturing sector was 7.5 per cent, the growth rate in the service was 10.61 per cent. The primary sector grew by only 0.61 per cent.

Karnataka’s share in the country’s GDP grew from 4.85 per cent to 5.22 per cent during the period 90-91 to 01-02.

The report also clearly indicates that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are about a decade behind the rest of the population. Yet, the status of these communities in the state is better than their counterparts in the rest of the country.
After releasing the report, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the report would help the authorities in the formulation of the eleventh Plan by its focused attention on the standard of living of people, besides planning the exploitation of resources for the benefit of weaker sections.