Human Development Indicators

  Human development is the chief of objective of any development. It is because development is for human being. Economic development is only a means of human development. Hence human resource is the most important factor for the economic development of the country.

  Human development indicators are directly related to the well being of the people. It is a concern not only for poor countries and poor people, but everywhere. In the high-income countries, indicators of short falls in human development should be looked for in homeless, drug addiction, crime, unemployment, urban squalor, environmental degradation, personal insecurity and social disintegration.. The indicators for the advanced countries are of course, different from those in poor countries. Human development goes beyond basic needs in that it is concerned with all human being not only basic needs. Human development applies to the advanced countries as much as to the middle income and low-income countries.

  Human development covers all aspects of development whether economic growth or international trade, budget deficits or fiscal policy, saving or investment or technology, basic social services or safety nets for the poor. No aspect of the development model falls outside its scope, but the vantage point is the widening of people's choices and the enrichment of their lives. All aspects of life economic, political or cultural are viewed from that perspective. On some aspects of the human development indicators, there is fairly broad agreement.

i) Development must put people at the center of its concerns.

ii) The purpose of development is to enlarge all human choices, not just income.

iii) It is concerned both with building up human capabilities (through investment in people) and with using those human capabilities fully.

iv) It has four essential pillars: equity, sustainability, productivity and empowerment.

The human development indicators define the ends of development and analyses sensible options for achieving them.

Current Population Situation

   Population is the input of human resource. There is no any problem of input for human resources in Nepal. Population has created problem for the development of Nepal because the existing availability of population has not been utilized properly. The current population situation including its composition as well as distribution is explained below:

Sizes and Growth of population

   The population census was started in Nepal from 1911 A.D. and total population was 56,38,749 at that time. The population has been doing within one decade till now. The latest population census is done in 2001 and the total population was 2,31,51423 and the population growth rate was 2.25 percent per annum. 

   population census year 

Population Census year                         Total Population                                   Growth Rate

1911                                                       56,38,749                                    -

1920                                                       55,73,788                                    -1.3

1930                                                       55,32,574                                    -0.07

1941                                                       62,83,648                                    +1.16

1952                                                       82,85,625                                    +2.30

1961                                                       94,12,996                                    +1.65

1971                                                       1,15,55,983                                 +2.07

1981                                                       1,50,22,839                                 +2.66

1991                                                       1,84,91,097                                 +2.08

2001                                                       2,31,51,432                                 +2.25

  source: Nepal Population Report, 2002

The above table shows that population is increasing first two censuses and later on populations growth is increasing. In the last three census as well as 2001, population is increasing more than 2 percent growth rate per annul. The total population has crossed above 2 crore 70 lakhs by the end of 2008 AD.

 Composition of Population

   The study of population census done from various aspects such as sex, religion, age, language, density etc. According to the latest population census, the total number of male is 11,563,921 and female 11,587,502. On the basis of sex, female covers 50.05 percent and male covers 49.95 percent of the total population. Other compositions of population are explained below.

   i) Population by Age Group: Composition of population can be analyzed by age group. Age group is that factor which shows population dependent and active population in total population. According to population census 2001, shows that economically active population (15-59) covers 54.15 percent of total population whereas 27.24 percent belongs to 5-14 age group, 0-4 and 60+ above age group covers 18.61 percent/ it can be shown in the table.

Age  Group                                                                                 Percent       15-59                                                                                        54.15      5-14                                                                                          27.24 0-4& 60+above                                                                             18.61         Total                                                                                       100.

Source: Nepal Population Report, 2002

 ii) Population by religion: Nepal has declared as the religion secular country since 2006, however more than 80% people are Hindus. Although it is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Buddhists are only 10.7 percent; Muslims are 4.2 percent and the others 4.48 percent.

iii) Population by Mother Tongue: The official language is Nepali classification of mother tongue, as reported in the  population census 2001, shows that population speaking Nepali on mother tongue are 48.61 percent of the total population. And the population speaking Maithali 12.30 percent, Bhojpuri 7.53 percent, Tharu 5.86 percent, Tamang 5.19 percent, Newari 3.36 percent and others 17.15 percent.
Density of Population
Distribution of Population
Occupational Distribution of Population

Human Resource

                           1.Concept of Human Resource    

Human resource simply refers to the population of a country. But in economic sense, the healthy, educated and skilled manpower is known as human resource. It is also a store of knowledge, skill a labor for the utilization in the production of goods and services. According to National Planning Commission, Nepal, "Human resource is the knowledge, skill, efficiency, physical and mental capacity to do work inherent in the people of the country." Human resource hence is the productive physical and mental talent of the people who comprise an economy.

2.Role of Human Resource in Development 

Human resource has a significant role for the development of technology and its improvement. Human resource or population is same as raw materials. Human resource is the active factor of production whereas others are passive factors of production, which depends on the efficiency of human beings. Basic framework of economical, social and political institutions is made under the assistance of human resources. The result of these activities depends on the level of human resource. Economic development of a country is only possible when it develops human resources and mobilizes them properly. For the development of our country, human resources can play the following role:

i)Utilization of Natural Resource:  Nepal is rich in natural resources. If the natural resources are utilized properly, the country can develop its potentials in any time. The utilization of natural resources increases the national income. In order to mobilize the natural resources, human resource is an essential element, without which economic activities are virtually impossible.

ii) Development of Agriculture and Industrial Sectors: Agriculture is the backbone of Nepalese economy. More than 76 percent of the total labor force are engaged in agriculture and related activities. Modern and superior technologies should be used for the modernization of agriculture and rapid industrialization. By utilizing such majority of labor force towards agriculture and industrial development, Nepal can achieve accelerating economic development.

iii) Overall Development: The overall development depends upon human resource. Human resource is assumed to be wheel of development, process of development and the destination of development.

Problems of Natural Resources Management

  Nepal has faced grave problems and marked significant achievements in the management of its natural resources. There are dramatic changes in the conservation movement. Even the word "conservation" is falling into disuse in favor of more descriptive and more inclusive phrases. Educators and resource managers spoke of total environmental management and envisioned a discipline that would create a harmonious relationship between man and his environment. Under this new concept, the conservation philosophy is becoming less a tool of the physical science and more the domain of the social sciences. Environmental mismanagement has reached a point where it could be recognized by the man in the street. There are point where it could be recognized by the man in the street. There are different problems to manage the respected natural resources. There are various factors, which hinder to manage natural resources:

    i) Lack of Capital: We need adequate capital to manage the existing natural resources. Nepal being one of the poorest countries is unable to make available adequate capital as necessity. Due to lack of adequate capital for investment for utilization of natural resources, these natural resources are still unknown to the common people, and their use in commercial scale yet to be started. If they are utilized in some extent, they are used in inappropriate manner.

  ii) Lack of Technical Know_how: The development and management of natural resources we need adequate skilled manpower of varied levels. Nepal does not possess required number of competent personnel. The purse of the country does not permit the import to such manpower.

   iii) Lack of Infrastructure: Nepal is poor in various infrastructures. Transportation is one of them. But lack of adequate transport facilities, natural resources in various parts of Nepal cannot be utilized and exploited so far. In most cases, favorable sites for executing natural resources lie in remote areas, which do not possess adequate facilities of transporting heavy equipment needed for the said purpose.

    iv) Limited Market  v)Inappropriate Government Policy vi) Unemployment vii) Political Instability

Natural Resources Management for Sustainable Development

  Natural resources management does not refer only protection of such resources, but it also refers proper utilization of available resources. Natural resources are conserved for their biological, economic, and relational values, as well as their natural beauty and importance to local cultures.
  i) Land/Soil management: Sustained growth in the agricultural sector is critical for feeding the growing number of people in Nepal, and for generating a sufficient surplus to support other economic sectors such as manufacturing. It requires preservation of its top layer, which is most suitable for plant growth. However, growth in the agricultural sector has been stagnate on of the principal resources for this low growth in agriculture is low crop yields that are, affected by deteriorating soil fertility and quantity of agricultural land.
   Appropriate policies therefore need to be pursed to improve soil fertility and to raise agriculture productivity, proper soil fertility management through optimal utilization of locally available biomass, rehabilitation of lower potential agricultural lands, adoptive of environmentally compatible farming practices, and a reorientation of research and extension to reflect greater responsiveness to the local needs and to sustainable production and consumption alternatives, as well as improve management to livestock and rang elands are some of the key policies. There are some ways to manage soil:
  (a) Recovery of minerals from decomposition of fallen leaves, twigs, dead roots, dead bodies animals and animal excreta, biological nitrogen fixation, passing down of nitrogen, sulpher and other salt from atmosphere to the oil through rain, addition of farmyard, manure, green maturity and addition of fertilizers.
b) Soil erosion is caused by water and wind. Crops such as grass, barmen, groundnuts, pulses after excellent soil protection against erosion by water. Crop rotation also checks soil erosion. Each bund holds the rainwater within each compartment and terracing of sloping lands reduces the speed of water and prevents soil erosion. Suitable outlet channels can carry floodwater. A forestation and reforestation can checks soil erosion. Likewise wind erosion probably caused by over grazing. There must be grazing regulation to restrict the conservation/management of soil.
ii) Forest and range land Management
iii) Water Resource Management
iv)  Mineral Resources Management
Besides, employment opportunities, education, and medical facilities as well other chance should be provided in order to environment protection and natural resources management.

Natural Resources Management for Sustainable Development

What is Sustainable Development?
The term of 'sustainable development' has been brought into common use by the World Commission Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) in its seminal report called [our Common Future' in 1987. Despite a wide acceptance of the concept sustainable development, there is no single definition yes. Most of the definitions are built upon the view expressed by the Brudndtland Commission, which defines sustainable expressed development as 'Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need'. This definition contains three concepts such as needs, development and future generation. Development is a qualitative concept incorporating notions of improvement and progress with including cultural, social and economic dimensions.
      The use of the concept need in the definition is linked to the distribution of resources. As pointed by Brundtland report, sustainability is defined meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for the better life' In the words of Edward Barber, "Sustainable development as one which is directly concerned with increasing the material standard of living of the poor at the grass-root level, which could be qualitatively measured in terms of  increased food, real income, educational service,health care, sanitation, water supply etc. In more specific terms, sustainable development aims reducing the absolute poverty of the world's poor by proving lasting and scare livelihoods that minimize resource depletion, environmental degradation, cultural disruption and social means of development that meets the basic needs of a all, particularly the poor majority for employment, food, energy, water and housing and ensures growth of agriculture, manufacture, power and services to meet these needs.

Types of Natural Resources

    Natural resources are the components of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere essential for lif. These include energy, air, water, soil, minerals, plants and animals. The nature of resources is variety from society to society. Natural resources are grouped into two categories:
    (i) Renewable or Perpetual Resources: A renewable resources is one that may be replaced over time by natural processes, such as fish populations or natural vegetation, or is inexhaustible, such as solar energy and wind power. The goal of renewable resources conservation is to ensure that such resources are not consumed faster than they are replaced.
    (ii) Nonrenewable REsources: Non-renewable resources are those in limited supply that cannot be replaced or can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time. Nonrenewable resources include fossil fuels and mineral deposits, such as iron ore and gold ore. Conservation activities for nonrenewable resources focus on maintenance and adequate supply of these resources well into the future. However, water, forests and wildlife are renewable resources but can become non-renewable resources if they are not used properly.