Human development and economic growth go hand in hand

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On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit - officially came into force. Over the next fifteen years, with these new Goals that universally apply to all, countries are expected to mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind - on which there is a big question mark.

Developed states interfere with achieving the goal of sustainable development by attempting to impose their ambitious plans on other small and less developed nations. Development is not possible without the positive cooperation between the country's social, political, economic systems, geographical conditions and cultural diversity.

Due to the competition between developing nations -the boom between the nations about the market system, the beneficial trade, the law, the market and the exploitation of resources - the concept of sustainable development goals seems to be the epitome of double standards of world politics.

It is not for the first time that a resolution has been passed for world-class development. In the year 2000, this forum passed the resolution of achieving eight goals by 2015 in the form of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight MDGs - ranged from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV / AIDS and providing universal primary education.

Apart from this, the commitment to establishing relationships for environmental sustainability and global development was also repeated. India had repeatedly endorsed the Millennium Development Index by 2015, but in all eight goals, there was little success.

In fact, development should not be seen only with the economic development of the country. Development refers to the level of human life in which people have access to basic needs like poverty, education, health, employment, housing, drinking water and cleanliness, and social justice, equality and human skill in economic and social conditions.

The scale of development should be based on the Human Development Index, and then the policies and programs will be visible around it. In the concept, all things are seen in sustainable development goals and targets, but it is very important to reflect on them in economic activities.

Out of the 17SDGs, SDG 8 has been conceived like an umbrella, in which the various aspects of development have been thrown in the root of the economic development of the citizens. The 12 targets of SDG 8 reiterate that all the available employment opportunities should be developed in such a way that sustainable economic development of all the citizens is possible.

In India - despite it being one of the world's big economies - the human development index, hunger index and health indicators are far below the other less developed countries. Despite the acute wealth of natural and human resources, poverty, unemployment, hunger, health, education, backwardness in the field of social security and the level of life of people, there are several reasons why the signs of improvement are not visible on the ground, without which it would not be possible to achieve the sustainable development goals. India is a country with agrarian and rural surroundings.

The employment and livelihood of large sections of the population depends on agriculture and employment generated from it. According to 2011 census, 68.84 percent of the total population of the country resides in the villages. In view of natural calamities and geographical diversities, ignoring the agrarian development in government sector, the farmers, especially young farmers, have been disillusioned with agriculture and animal husbandry. Due to the gap in the income and inequality of income in agriculture, farmers are looking at agriculture as an alternative livelihood.

The economic condition of small and medium farmers who work extremely hard to fill up the food-grain storehouses is the worst. According to the figures, out of 13.78 crore agricultural land holders in India, there are 11.78 crore small and marginal farmers who run their livelihoods with mixed earnings from farming and casual labour. Young and mature members migrate to the cities in order to earn higher wages in the unorganized sector.

Migration is not only going to cause a population explosion in the cities but also put pressure on the health requirements and employment needs. There are various schemes like Pradhaan Mantree Kaushal Vikaas Yojana, Pradhaan Mantree Rozgaar Protsaahan Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Rozgaar Srijan Yojana and Raashtreya Svaasthya Suraksha Yojana, which can contribute significantly in achieving the goal of sustainable development.

In emerging economies like India, the availability of young human resources compared to other countries in the world is high. If the implementation of youth human resources is done in proper planned manner then we should be free from poverty, hunger, unemployment and there will be an improvement in social security, health, education, food security and welfare programs compared to other countries in the world.

If proper implementation is carried out, there is no reason why India cannot improve its human development index and move in line with other leading developed countries of the world. The views expressed in the above article are that of Dilip Bidawat of Charkha Development Communication Network.

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