Human Development and Social Security in India

Contents : Preface. 1. Human Development and Social Justice/Prasant Kumar Panda. 2. Budgetary Allocations and Human Development/Sacchidananda Mukherjee and Debashis Chakraborty. 3. Healthcare Financing in India/T. Subba Lakshmi and Dukhabandhu Sahoo. 4. Government-sponsored Health Schemes in India/Nighat Ahmad, Mohammad Shahid J. Ansari and Ayesha Ahmad. 5. Gains from Right to Education/Mohd. Saeed Khan. 6. Gender Gaps in Financing Higher Education: A Critical Analysis/Manika Kamthan. 7. Women Empowerment through Micro Finance/T. Ranganathan. 8. Micro Credit for Economic and Human Development/Aparajita Biswal and Bibhuti Bhusan Patro. 9. Unemployment in Kerala: A Study of Kasaragod District/C. Sajith and C.P. Jomit. Appendix. Index. The ultimate objective of all economic efforts is human development which encompasses quality of life, the level of well-being and access to basic social services. The pattern of economic development in India since Independence in 1947 has left in its trail a variety of inequalities which have caused socio-politico tensions. While the economy has performed well in terms of growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP), its performance in terms of human development indicators has been unsatisfactory. The social security situation in India is characterised by ambiguity in policy and responsibility. There is a variety of schemes but these have been framed at various points of time and, therefore, do not conform to any overall design reflecting a comprehensive and consistent policy or direction. A comprehensive concept of living standards includes the satisfaction of basic needs like food, clothing and shelter as well as normal satisfactions of family life, enjoyment of physical and mental health, opportunities for the expression of skills and recreational abilities, and active and pleasurable social participation.…