KARNATAKA - of Planning Commission

Introductionprimarily on public spending, while at the same timeincluding a segment on the new and innovativeprivate-public partnerships emerging in the socialservices sector.The HDR attempts to measure the state’sperformance in human development in thosehuman priority areas that most affect the livingconditions of the poor and the vulnerable:education and literacy, nutrition and healthcare,protected water supply and sanitation, housing,incomes and livelihoods.The HDR views the theme of spending on humandevelopment from two perspectives.(i) Factoring equity and social justiceissues: Human development for thevulnerable sections of societyWhen public investment produces equitableoutcomes, it favourably impacts the livingconditions of the most marginal, and therefore,vulnerable, sub-populations in society. Whilethese sub-populations, whose humandevelopment indices are markedly below thatof the general population, are often the focus ofspecial state policies/programmes, the Reportalso examines whether equity and social justiceobjectives have been achieved and whetherthese programmes and policies empower themarginalised sections of society. The focusgroups are women, children, Scheduled Castesand Scheduled Tribes and people below thepoverty line. Regional disparity being the fourthdimension of deprivation, the Report consciouslyattempts to portray the interconnection ofmultiple forms of deprivation and their outcomesfor people’s human development.A unique feature of this HDR is the highly detailedanalysis of the status of Scheduled Castesand Tribes in the state. A sample survey wascommissioned and entrusted to the Departmentof Economics and Statistics to collect and collatedata for preparation of the HDI and GDI of theScheduled Castes and Tribes in the state. No otherState HDR has attempted this exercise. Chapters 9and 10 make use of these HDI and GDI to uncovera hitherto unlit landscape of deprivation. A secondstudy, especially commissioned for the Report isan analysis of women’s self-help groups.(ii) Factoring good governance,efficient service delivery, people’sparticipation: Making humandevelopment participatory, democraticand accessibleWhile mobilisation and optimal allocation ofresources for human development is signifi cant,the Report also highlights the factors thatunderpin effective service delivery, i.e. goodgovernance, responsive local level institutions andpeople’s participation in their own socio-economicdevelopment. ‘How’ resources are deployed is asimportant as ‘how much’ is invested. Pumping inmoney without ensuring effi cient and effectivedelivery mechanisms could mean that resourcesare not being optimally utilised. Ensuringhuman development is people-centred meansthat institutions at various levels must functioneffi ciently and be accountable to the people. Thekey stakeholders in the process of making thesystem more effi cient, democratic, transparentand participatory are the state government,Panchayat Raj institutions, NGOs, and communitybased organisations. An analysis of the roles ofthese agencies in improving governance for betterhuman development is a signifi cant theme of thisHDR.ObjectivesThe main objectives of the Report are:• To develop baseline data on the status of humandevelopment in relation to public investment inthe state and the districts;• To provide a comprehensive analysis ofhuman development goals and outcomes,especially for the most vulnerablesub-populations;• To examine the effi ciency of service deliveryand the role, in improving governance, ofPanchayat Raj institutions and the impact ofcollective action mobilised by NGOs/the state,either through self-help groups or throughother community based organisations thatmanage community resources;• To suggest how the state can mobilise resourcesfor human development and how resourcesxxx