POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
People are central to the development process
and an integral element in all development
strategies. There are many different and often
conflicting views on the meaning of
development. The most appropriate strategies
need to be followed at different points of time
and in space. Large size population has been
viewed by many as a negative factor in the
development. However, much depends on its
quality.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Relationship between population and food
supply has been a subject of study ever since
Malthus projected a grim future for humanity,
if population continued to rise faster than food
production. Given the uneven rate of population
growth and technological breakthroughs in food
production, there are difficulties in forecasting
rates of increase in food supply or how
consumption will vary. The fact, however,
remains that over use or misuse of the land
with a view to increase food production has its
serious implications for environment and thus
indirectly for food security.
The vital questions to explore are: Are these
regional differences in the rate of population
growth in consonance with the regional
disparities in the supporting capacity of the
areas? If not, how far are these differences in
growth rate responsible for creating imbalance
between the population and the resources?
Growth of population, thus becomes a vital
element in any assessment of population
resource balance. But we can not ignore the
fact that high growth of population or the
deficiency of the resources alone are not
responsible for the imbalance. The nature of
social structure, the stage of technological
advancement, the characteristics of
distribution system and the public policies are
the elements that influence the balance
between the people and the resources. Thus,
the number that a given piece of land can
support does not merely depend upon its
physical resources, but also upon a set of
social, economic, technological and political
conditions. Therefore, in any assessment of
balance between the population and means of
subsistence all these constitute important
elements of the system. This complex
relationship has been presented by different
scholars/thinkers as models and theories.
Presently, we will get introduced to the concept
of Human Development which provides an
alternative to the view of development equated
exclusively with economic development.
Human Development Index (HDI)
The Human Development Report 1990,
introduced by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), argues that
development is not merely an expansion of
income and wealth, but a process of
enhancing human functionings and
capabilities. This perspective of development
is termed �human development�. The concept
is defined as �the process of widening people�s
choices and the level of well-being they
achieve�. The report states that regardless of
the level of development, the three choices for
the people are: to lead a long and healthy life,
to be knowledgeable, and to have access to
the resources needed for a decent standard of
living. These are represented by three
indicators: longevity as measured by life
expectancy at birth, educational attainment,
as measured by a combination of adult
literacy (two-thirds weight) and the combined
gross primary, secondary and tertiary
enrolment ratio (one-third weight); and
standard of living as measured by GDP per
capita (Productivity Per Person US$).
The Human Development Index (HDI),
constructed every year since 1990 by the
United Nations, measures average
achievements in basic human development in
one simple composite index and produces a
ranking of countries.
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AKHAND PRATAP SINGH
