In an increasingly globalised world, it has become imperative for the policy makers, businessmen, entrepreneurs, tourists etc to assess the health of a nation on various parameters; Health care, law and order, business environment, human rights, freedom of expression etc before investing or setting up businesses or while devising foreign policy objectives or even while visiting a country.
It is something like the Bankers referring to our CIBIL score to decide how much loan can be granted and whether we are capable enough to repay the loan.
Similarly, the various indexes that world bodies / agencies notify from time to time are like the CIBIL score of a nation or a society. These Indexes serve the same purpose as our CIBIL Score serves.
The HDI, Poverty Index, Corruption Index, Democracy index, Ease to do business index, Per capita income, etc etc are the indicators that tell us and others about the Health of a Nation and the Society. All the Indices that are mentioned above are a measure of various parameters of Governance and have nothing to do with our perception about a society or a Nation.
For instance; take HDI, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX. This Index is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development - a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
The Human Development Index (HDI), is released by World bank every year, in which India is languishing year after year around 130s out of 180 Nations, but this year sadly it has slid down one more rank ; it stands at 132 now.
The parameters that are used to calculate the Index points are - per capita income, mortality rates, percentage of skilled population, availability of health care facilities, education facilities, how many leave schools at the primary level and so on.
The countries that occupy the Top positions in this Index are; Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, Hongkong, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, USA, UK, Japan, Netherlands, whereas India which for many years now languishing at 130s finds itself at this position surrounded by countries like - Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and few African countries.
It’s obvious, that the Nations occupying the top positions on the table are developed nations. One who has been to Germany, Japan can easily make out the difference between India and Germany/Japan/ Sweden.
Another one is Poverty Index. This index is used by planners to assess which countries need the financial aid and in which sector they need to focus on. Once again, we find that the Nations who were at the top of HDI table are having low poverty index and are richer nations, whereas those at the bottom of HDI are at the higher end of this poverty Index as well. So, it’s not surprising to find India being ranked along with the same friends at the bottom of the list. The parameters that are used to calculate the Index are ;
Health Care; Child mortality rates, Nutrition, Standard of living; Availability of cooking fuel, Sanitation, Housing assets and so on.
It’s not difficult to ascertain as to why we are ranked low - In India approx 32 kids out of 1000 die when they are not even 5 years old, whereas, in France mere 4.4 children out of 1000 die and in China its 7.3 and this happens because our mothers and children do not get sufficient nutrition and do not have access to better medical facilities.
So, it should surprise none, despite the Indian Govt as usual blaming the agencies for maligning India – It is ranked 104 on the Global Hunger Index Afterall , it is because of the lack of proper Nutrition that our children are dying in such numbers.
We occupy similar positions on almost every possible Index.
Conclusion.
The above indicates that if we improve on Human Development Index we surely improve on other indices as well or If we improve on per capita income this will also surely be reflected in many other Indices.
For example ; India’s per capita income is one of the lowest despite being one of the largest economies. This automatically tells us that We must be lower down in ranking on Poverty Index and Human Development Index, Our Health Care system must be awful and so on. Its not Rocket Science.
So, How many Indices will we keep REJECTING, in the guise of that the whole world is ganging up against us? And Why should we be thinking in this manner? Only paranoid think this way.
What difference will it make to US or UK or France or Germany or Australian Presidents/ PMs whether India is ranked 130 on HDI or even 150 or its sliding down the democracy index till the time they are getting a market to sell their products.
It is for the common man to understand that if the Nation is being consistently sliding down these indexes, then ultimately it is they who are going to suffer and its their own leaders who are fooling them and not the world.
It is understandable that a ruling party may come out with different reasons to justify their ineffectiveness but why should the COMMON MAN believe this bullshit given by a political party.
The history tells us that the world leaders have always hobnobbed and shook hands with cruel tyrant rulers for their own Nations’ interest; Saddam Hussein, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao, Kim Jong and many more. One can have a look at the pics below. And why not, it is none of their concern as to what an autocrat does to his people/ country, till their own interests are being met.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that these tyrants/ autocrats were able to rule their respective countries using their propaganda machine to spread;
One, That they will bring back the glory of past. Mussolini promised to bring back the glory of Roman empire, Hitler assured the Aryan supremacy, Putin has promised to regain the lost glory of USSR , Erdogan has promised to bring back the old glory of Ottoman empire which ruled more than half the Europe.
Two. That the world is ganging up against them to stop their march ahead to glory; present day Russia, and Turkey are doing the same and earlier Mussolini and Hitler resorted to same strategy.
So, the point is How long we as a society keep behaving like dumbs and fall for PROPAGANDA ; Akhand Bharat, becoming Vishw Guru.
We can not even file an FIR without hassles, Our Police and Judiciary is corrupt to the core, Our hospitals are rotten and Govt run schools are in mess and We are behaving as if everything is hunky dory.
I would have still believed these assurances/promises had there been improvement in our Police, in our hospitals, in our Courts, in our schools. Nothing of this sort has happened in last 8 years. Our courts, our Police, our courts, our hospitals continue to function in the same manner as they did 8 years ago.
The history tells us that these Leaders who played with such emotions of the masses led their countries to disaster like Putin and Erdogan who have brought their countries close to disaster, medievalism and conservatism.