INTRODUCTION:

Development is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Some of its major dimensions include the level of economic growth, level of education, level of health services, degree of modernization, status of women, level of nutrition, quality of housing, distribution of goods and services, and access to communication. In India, the socio-economic development among major states is not uniform.

Gujarat is one of the large states in India known for sustained levels of development. ‘Gujarties’ the people of Gujarat so identified rings a bell in the imagination as enterprising people with an edge to manage and invest money in businesses and enhance savings. These Gujarati attributes are not new, but rather age-old; and developed over centuries especially due to their easy contact with the traveling businessmen from all over the world on the Indian west coast. No wonder then that Gujarat is one of the few states where income-earning opportunities have always been better and praiseworthy in India.

Literacy and Education:

Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than 6-fold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and of all lessons, India currently has the largest illiterate population. Despite government programs, India’s literacy rate increased only “sluggishly”. Some studies estimated that it would take until 2060 for India to achieve universal literacy at then-current rate of progress. The 2011 census, however, indicated a 2001-2011 decadal literacy growth of 9.2%, which is slower than the growth seen during the previous decade.

The literacy rate measures the human capital (i.e. productive skills and knowledge) of the population. A more literate population generally shows a lower birth rate per woman, lesser infant mortality, and better access to economic activities. The performance of India in educating its population has been poor compared to many countries of the world. As per data from OECD 2013, the literacy rate in the world is 92% among males and 87% among females, while India remained far below the level of 82.14% of males and 65.46% of females. The literacy growth in India has been steady but slow. Back in the '50s, the literacy rate was just above 18%, and since then we have seen roughly an increase of 10% per decade, with the highest 13% increase in the '90s (see Fig. 2).

Constitutionally the states bear the major responsibility of elementary education. Large regional disparities in literacy and learning levels reflect the poor efficacy of many state educational policies. Kerala stands apart with more than 90% literate population, which is largely a result of mass campaigns by people and political action termed as the ‘Kerala model’.

Educationally Muslims are the most deprived community in Gujarat. Despite 75% net enrolment, about similar levels compared with the SCs/STs and other groups; the Muslims are deprived at the level of matriculation and higher levels. A mere 26% reach matriculation whereas this proportion for 'others except SCs/ STs is 41%. The SCs/STs fare about the same on this count. Amongst the Muslims, a large dropout takes place at about 5th standard. A disturbing trend was noticed in the case of education at the level of graduation. Muslims, who had about the same level of education in the past, are found to have been left behind compared with even the SCs/STs who have caught up with higher education. Startling is the fact that in recent years it is high caste Hindus who have benefitted most from the public provisioning of higher education. The SCs/STs are catching up and the Muslims are left behind. The disparity in access to higher education is increasing over time. This is evidence of discrimination in the provisioning of higher education access, infrastructure, and related services.

To overcome the Muslim deficit in different levels of education, the central government has launched a nationwide scholarship scheme with effect from April 1, 2008. All states have responded favourably, with the only exception of Gujarat which has not implemented even the pre-matric scholarships for minorities. There are 55,000 scholarships allocated to Gujarat of which 53,000 are to be given to deserving Muslims, but Gujarat has not even cared to implement this program.

Safety and Security:

The human development survey of the NCAER canvassed a few questions that relate to the safety and security of citizens. All respondents were asked to assess the condition of village and neighborhood conflict. Further, any experience and occurrence of “theft/burglary” and “harassment of adolescent girls” was also recorded for the reference year.

It is instructive to note Gujarat is one of those high village/neighborhood conflict states, next only to Uttar Pradesh (82 percent) and Uttrakhand; but on par with West Bengal at 63%. However, since this is a societal level factor, the inter-community differentials were found to be low – which means irrespective of the community one belongs to, they had similar exposure to neighborhood/village conflict which is rather very high in Gujarat.

Employment in India and Gujarat at Glance:

Statement referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstirred question no. 1010 due to reply on 4.3.2013

State-wise details of rate of growth of employment in organized sector (Public and Private)

From 2008 to 2011 (in percent)

State/ UTs	Compound Annual Growth Rate of Employment
State/ UTs	Public Sector	Private Sector	Total
A & N Islands	0.94	0	0.89
Andhra Pradesh	-2.22	2.55	-0.50
Assam	0.57	-3.41	-1.59
Bihar	2.29	2.70	2.40
Chandigarh	0.00	5.16	2.26
Chhattisgarh	-0.99	2.78	-0.59
Daman & Diu	-20.63	2.50	0.00
Delhi	2.29	4.85	3.07
Goa	1.23	4.80	2.68
Gujarat	0.30	7.47	4.52
Haryana	0.35	4.89	2.34
Jharkhand	0.69	-1.19	0.30
Karnataka	0.28	4.07	2.25
Kerala	-1.84	0.20	-0.90
Madhya Pradesh	-0.35	2.36	-0.03
Maharashtra	2.67	14.16	8.31
Manipur	0.00	0.00	0.00
Meghalaya	-13.65	-17.79	-14.09
Mizoram	-37.00	-100.00	-38.02
Nagaland	0.93	-5.90	0.43
Orissa	0.46	11.20	2.07
Puducherry	-8.15	0.00	-4.55
Punjab	-2.09	1.42	-0.72
Rajasthan	0.18	6.52	1.66
Tamil Nadu	-1.37	1.83	-0.20
Tripura	-2.08	-22.72	-3.45
Uttar Pradesh	0.16	3.07	0.86
Uttarakhand	-0.93	22.92	4.32
West Bengal	-3.88	0.35	-2.16
All – India	-0.24	5.06	1.72

(Source : Census of India, 2011)

Human Development Index (HDI)

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indices used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. It was created by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and the Indian economist Amartya Sen in 1990 and was published by the United Nations Development Programme.

In the 2010 Human Development Report a further Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) was introduced. While the simple HDI remains useful, it stated that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (accounting for inequality)" and "the HDI can be viewed as an index of "potential" human development (or the maximum IHDI that could be achieved if there were no inequality)". In another sign that India has much catching up to do, the Human Development Report 2013 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ranked the country at a low 136 among 186 countries on its Human Development Index (HDI) - a composite measure of life expectancy, access to education and income levels.

On the positive side, India's HDI has risen by 1.7% annually since 1980. The report lauds India's contribution by way of its spillover development effect on other countries. For instance, it points out that Indian firms have been supplying affordable medicines, medical equipment, and information and communication technology to other poorer countries.

The 2013 report focuses on the "rise of the South", mapping the shift in global dynamics from the traditional power base in the West to newer emerging countries. Besides the emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, the report also acknowledges developing nations such as Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, and Indonesia as playing a larger role on the global stage.

Economic Development in India and Gujarat:

The economic development in India followed socialist-inspired policies for most of its independent history, including state-ownership of many sectors; India's per capita income increased at only around 1% annualized rate in the three decades after Independence. Since the mid-1980s, India has slowly opened up its markets through economic liberalization. After more fundamental reforms since 1991 and their renewal in the 2000s, India has progressed towards a free market economy.

In the late 2000s, India's growth reached 7.5%, which will double the average income in a decade. Analystssay that if India pushed more fundamental market reforms, it could sustain the rate and even reach the government's 2011 target of 10%.States have large responsibilities over their economies. The annualized 1999–2008 growth rates for Tamil Nadu (9.8), Gujarat (9.6%), Haryana (9.1%), and Delhi (8.9%) were significantly higher than for Bihar (5.1%), Uttar Pradesh (4.4%), or Madhya Pradesh (6.5%). India is the tenth-largest economy in the world and the third-largest by purchasing power parity adjusted exchange rates (PPP). On a per capita basis, it ranks 140^th in the world or 129^thby PPP.

The economic growth has been driven by the expansion of services that have been growing consistently faster than other sectors. It is argued that the pattern of Indian development has been a specific one and that the country may be able to skip the intermediate industrialization-led phase in the transformation of its economic structure. Serious concerns have been raised about the jobless nature of the economic growth.

Favorable macroeconomic performance has been a necessary but not sufficient condition for the significant reduction of poverty amongst the Indian population. The rate of poverty decline has not been higher in the post-reform period (since 1991). The improvements in some other non-economic dimensions of social development have been even less favorable. The most pronounced example is an exceptionally high and persistent level of child malnutrition (46% in 2005–6).

The progress of economic reforms in India is followed closely. The World Bank suggests that the most important priorities are public sector reform, infrastructure, agricultural and rural development, removal of labor regulations, reforms in lagging states, and HIV/AIDS. For 2012, India ranked 132^nd in the Ease of Doing Business Index, which is a setback as compared with China's 91^st and Brazil's 126th. According to the Index of Economic Freedom World Ranking an annual survey on economic freedom of the nations, India ranks 123^rd as compared with China and Russia which ranked 138^th and 144^th respectively in 2012. The economy of Gujarat has significant agricultural as well as industrial production within India. Legatum Institute’s Global Prosperity Index 2012 has recognized Gujarat as the highest-scoring among all States of India on matters of social capital. The State ranks 15^th in a list of 142 nations worldwide and ranks higher than several developed nations.

Economic Growth

Growth is a multifaceted phenomenon. Key areas include the level of economic development, education, health, modernization, women, nutrition, adequate housing, distribution of goods and services, and communications. Socio-economic growth in India is not uniform across the major states. Gujarat is one of the largest states in India and is known for its level of sustainable development. These are entrepreneurs who, in theory, have an advantage in managing business funds, investing, and increasing savings. Gujarati features are not new but old. It thrived for centuries thanks to easy connections with traveling merchants from all over the world, especially from the west coast of India. Not surprisingly, Gujarat is one of the few commendable states in India with growing incomes.

Literacy and Education

The literacy rate in India is important for socio-economic status. India's literacy rate increased from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947 to 74.04% in 2011. This level is still six times lower than the global average. Literacy rate 84%. India is currently the country with the most illiterate population. Despite the government's plans, Indian literature "obviously" only grew. Some studies predict that India will not achieve universal literacy at its current rate until 2060. However, according to the 2011 census, newspaper readership grew 9.2 percent between 2001 and 2011, a slower rate than the previous decade. Literacy measures the human capital (i.e. intelligence and knowledge) of a population. Populations with higher literacy levels have younger women, lower infant mortality rates, and more opportunities to participate in the labour market. India is doing a poor job of educating its citizens compared to many countries around the world.

OECD

According to 2013 OECD data, the global literacy rate for men is 92% and for women is 87%. However, India's literacy rate is still far from 82.14% for men and 65.46% for women. Literacy growth in India has been steady but slow. In the 1950s, the illiteracy rate was just over 18% and has increased by about 10% every decade since. The highest growth rate was 13% in the 1990s (see Figure 2). According to the Constitution, the primary responsibility for elementary education lies with the state. Large regional differences in literacy and education levels highlight the ineffectiveness of education policies in many countries. Kerala has over 90% literate population, most of whom are part of the great movement and policy called the Kerala Model.

SC/ST/OBC/Minorities

Muslims are the poorest in Gujarat when it comes to education. The school enrolment rate is 75%, but the percentage is similar when compared to SC/ST and other groups. Muslims cannot receive higher education. While only 26% of students are admitted to schools, for non-SC/ST students the figure is 41%. SC/ST also does the same in this regard. Many Muslims stop their studies at the fifth standard. The effects are described in completed studies. Muslims who are accustomed to equal education lag behind their higher-educated SC/ST counterparts. Surprisingly, in recent years the Hindu upper class has benefited the most from public higher education. The scheduled castes/scheduled tribes were arrested and the Muslims were left behind. The gap in access to higher education has widened over time. This is clear evidence of discrimination in the provision of higher education, infrastructure, and related services. To address the problem of Muslim shortage at all levels of education, the central government developed a universal program on April 1, 2008. All states, except Gujarat, which has not yet introduced free subsidies, have responded positively. For minorities. Gujarat has been allocated 55,000 scholarships, of which 53,000 will be awarded to deserving Muslims. But Gujarat is not even interested in implementing this plan. Safety and Security: NCAER Development Science explores a variety of issues related to safety and public safety. All participants were asked to rate the nature of the conflict with their society. Incidents such as 'theft/robbery' and 'rape of a young girl' that occurred during the year of use were also recorded. In particular, Gujarat is one of the states with the highest number of social and communal conflicts, following Uttar Pradesh (82%) and Uttarakhand. However, at 63%, it is on par with West Bengal. However, because it is a large community, there is little social diversity. This means that no matter what community an individual belongs to, he or she faces conflicts in that community/society, many of which occur in Gujarat.

CONCLUSION:

The failure on the social front in the era of liberalization has been reflected in increased inequality and social unrest. While GDP growth is essential, it should be seen more in terms of hitherto unseen social opportunities. To achieve inclusive and participatory growth, public policies should focus on substantial investment in human capital, ensure their efficient delivery through good governance and create opportunities for economic participation by all sections. The lessons learnt from the journey through our own past, and that of the world, tell us much about the road ahead in realizing the VISION 2020 of a developed India.

REFERENCES :

1. Census of India, 2011.

2. Human Development in India : Analysis to Action, Government of India, Oct.2010.

3. Human Development in India : Sonalde B. Desai, Amaresh Dube & Others.

4. Social and Economic Development in India-A Comparative Study, Shivkumar Jolad.

5. UNDP Report, 2012-13.

Received on 22.02.2024 Modified on 20.03.2024

Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 2024; 12(1):23-27.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2687.2024.00006