10 Years of UNDP India's Work on Human Development

Responding to the growing emphasis on social sectors, UNDP embarked on a partnership with the Planning Commission in 1999, initially to build state capacity for human development reporting and analysis, and later to help apply the human development approach in planning and policies. Since 2002, national development plans have mandated that HDRs, be utilised for planning. All state governments have been advised to prepare HDRs. Besides, Annual Economic Surveys and Annual Plan documents of several states now include separate chapters on human development. The UNDP India-Planning Commission partnership began with an initiative to develop the capacity of state planning bodies to prepare state HDRs and a series of discussion papers on relevant human development issues. As a natural progression, the partnership has also focused on the preparation of district HDRs to strengthen district plans from a human development perspective, capacity development of functionaries on human development challenges, gender sensitization in planning, advocacy on the findings of the state and district HDRs and strengthening statistical systems.

India remains the most prolific country for HDRs with one national, 26 state, 27 districts and one city HDRs. Another 53 district HDRs are being prepared. HDRs of West Bengal and Chhattisgarh have received global recognition as best practice for analytical quality and significant local participation in their preparation. Impact of advocacy on  human development is also visible in state budgets – Gujarat for example, witnessed a 43 percent increase in 2010-11 budget allocation for social sector spending. Stronger statistical systems have ensured data on district level incomes is now available through HDRs. The HD approach and analysis has ensured mainstreaming of the concept of gender budgeting in states like West Bengal and Orissa with a model gender resource center established in Orissa by the state government to address gender issues across departments.