Odisha’s Human Development Index (HDI) has gone up from 0.404 in 2001 to 0.523 in 2016, thanks to developmental initiatives undertaken in the State during the period.
The data came to the fore ahead of the second State Human Development Report (SHDR) to come up shortly, revealed official sources.
Notably, the first SHDR was published in 2004 to assess the progress in key human development indices. The draft report of the SHDR 2018 is being fine tuned now, said sources.
The second SHDR would assess the status of human development and chalk out strategy to improve effectiveness of social and economic Developmental Programs
According to sources, Odisha has made significant progress in addressing poverty, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and problems of institutional delivery and primary dducation.
However, there is an urgent requirement to formulate District Specific Development Policies in Odisha as Human Development Index (HDI) in some of the districts is lagging behind, feel experts.
Planning in the Government level is being done taking the State as a whole, while experts opine that district level planning would help out the backward areas in the State in a big way.
They have suggested so because districts like Angul, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Khordha and Cuttack have experienced higher level of HDI where as districts like Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Balangir have lower level HDI.
Percentage of multidimensional poverty is low in Khordha, Cuttack and Puri whereas it is higher in Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi and the backward districts district specific planning so that perceptible improvement in HDI would be experienced, advised experts.
Sources said that there is gradual increment in literacy level where as improvement in gender gap in education sector is low. Health and education needs special attention for further growth, said they.
Experts advised for strengthening of the public healthcare system with adequate supply of drugs and diagnostic services.