First-ever J&K Human Development Report presented to CM

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Prepared by a group of academicians of Jammu University (JU) and Kashmir University (KU), the first-ever Jammu and Kashmir Human Development Report was presented to the Chief Minister (CM) Omar Abdullah at a simple but impressive function held at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar today.

The Human Development Report on which the academicians of both the universities were working for quite some time now, has been brought out in two volumes. While Volume One consisting of ten chapters is based on discussion and analysism, the second Volume consists of statistical tables mainly based on the primary data collected for the purpose the Report. The Report analysis the education, health, poverty and capabilities of the state economy.

However, the most significant part of the Report is the study of various Human Development Institutions in the state and Human Development at the Household level. The later based on a huge household survey of 10158 households touches upon almost anything and everything that have any direct or indirect relevance to human development.
The novelty of the Report is that it has come up, for the first time, with Human Freedom Index, Human Security Index and Human Happiness Index for the various districts of the state. This is on the one hand a net addition to the stock of existing knowledge in the discipline of Human Development and on the other hand, an exercise in the development of methodology.

The Report comes up with better Human Development Indices besides a UNDP-HDI & GDI. Irrespective of which indices we use the districts of Leh, Srinagar and Jammu are in the fore front and Kupwara at the bottom. some of the main recommendations made in the Report consist of an impetus to be given to growth rate of the state; to ensure the sustainability of low poverty incidence in the state; involvement of private sector in infrastructure development particularly roads; improving employment scenario in the state by inducing the educated youth to take up self employment avocation; to decrease the subsidization of higher education and to improve the quality of literacy and school education; and partially withdrawal of subsidy on public medicare to improve the service quality and ensure accountability.

On this occasion, a power-point presentation was made by Professor R L Bhat, University of Jammu highlighting the main features of the Report. During the presentation the Chief Minister was so involved in the presentation that he frequently intervene and sought clarifications of many issues.

Besides the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, those who were present at the occasion included A.R Rather, Minster of Finance, J&K Govt., Prof. Varun Sahni, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, Prof. Riyaz Punjabi, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Jalil Ahmad Khan, Economic Advisor to the State Govt., Khurshid Ganie, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sidanshu Pandey, Principal Secretary Finance and G.A Qureshi, Director General, Economics and Statistics, J&K Govt.

This Report has been authored by Prof. R L Bhat, Professor of Economics and Dean, Social Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, Prof. A S Bhat, Professor and Head, Department of Economics, University of Kashmir, Prof. J R Panda, former Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, University of Jammu, Prof. Jasbir Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Economics, University of Jammu and Dr. B.A Bhat, Senior Research Officer, Population Research Centre, University of Kashmir, Srinagar.