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A Step Up
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Context
India has improved its position in the 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) titled "A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI", moving from rank 133 in 2022 to 130 in 2023, with an increased HDI value of 0.685, despite global developmental slowdown and widening inequality.
Progress in Human Development Indicators
- Rise in HDI Value: India’s HDI increased from 676 (2022) to 0.685 (2023), showing strong recovery post-pandemic in health, education, and income dimensions.
- Improvement in Life and Learning: Life expectancy rose to 72 years, the highest since 1990, and expected years of schooling grew from 2 years (1990) to 13 years (2023).
- Income Growth: Gross National Income (GNI) per capita rose significantly from USD 2,167.22 in 1990 to USD 9,046.76 in 2023, reflecting economic upliftment.
Policy Initiatives and Social Impact
- Role of Welfare Programmes: Initiatives like MGNREGA, RTE Act, and NRHM have been instrumental in advancing human development outcomes.
- Poverty Reduction: Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, 5 crore Indians exited multidimensional poverty, a major contributor to India’s HDI progress.
- Gender and Income Inequality Warning: Despite overall improvements, HDI loss due to inequality stands at 30.7%, one of the highest in Asia, driven by income and gender disparities.
Gender Disparities and the Role of AI
- Female Labour Participation: Although it rose to 7% in 2023-24, sustainable employment requires stronger support systems and inclusive policies.
- Political Underrepresentation: Lack of implementation of 1/3rd reservation for women in legislatures remains a bottleneck for gender parity.
- AI and Development: India retains 20% of global AI researchers (up from nearly 0% in 2019), and must use AI to boost services in education, health, and governance—while ensuring equitable access and regulatory safeguards.
Practice Question
Q. Despite improvements in Human Development Index ranking, India continues to suffer significant losses due to inequality. Critically evaluate the role of public policy in addressing these disparities, and assess how emerging technologies like AI can be integrated into human development without deepening existing gaps.
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