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.

Environment and Natural Resources Management

Environment
   environment is, in fact that a set of surroundings, which influence the life and activities of our animate objects- human, animals and birds and all living beings and plants. In components of natural world, forest, water, soil the sea and so on together make up the system called environment, which support all life on the planet earth. P.Gilbert says, "Environment is anything immediately surrounding an object and exerting a direct influence on it." It is of two types, i) Natural and physical or gegraphical environment and ii) Man made (social or technological) environment.
  Environment and economic development are the two sides of the same coin. The main aim of economic development is to provide enforces and decencies of life of the human race and make human being happier. Environment plays a protective and promotional role in the survival of humanity. Hence one with the other alone makes the globe rich and powerful. But rapid growth and application of science and technology to economic activities naturally leads to modern industrialization which accompanied with or without some other factors, results among other things in urbanization and environmental pollution.
     Nepal is facing a number of serious environmental challenges. In a country where half of the population lives under the poverty line a lack of economic and technical alternatives means that people a limited set of choice in determining their own development strategies. A rapidly growing population is exerting increasing pressure on a limited resource base, depleting and degrading natural resources. New environmental problems are also emerging.The adverse environmental impacts of urban and industrial development require mitigation governmental institution have often proved ineffective.

Problems of Mineral Resources Development in Nepal

Most of the mineral resources are found only in survey reports and other books, as they all are unexploited so far. the role of mineral resources would be significant towards exploration and exploration of the mineral resources  however, due to the following problems, Nepal could not develop the mineral resources.
i) Lack of Capital: Nepal is one of the poorest countries having less than $315 per capital income of its people. Due to lack of adequate capital for investment for mineral resources exploration, these natural resources are still unknown to the common people, and their use in commercial scale is yet to started.
ii) Lack of Transportation Facilities: Nepal is poor in various infrastructures. Transportation is one of them. Lack of adequate transport facilities, mineral deposits in various parts of Nepal cannot be explored and exploited so far.
iii) Lack of Research: Mineral deposits may have the different alternatives, which can be identified from research, In this direction, Nepal has not undertaken adequate research in order to utilize available mineral deposits in different fields.
iv)Lack of Mineral Policy: An appropriate adequate mineral policy should cover various aspects of mineral development including exploration, excavation, exploitation, processing, research, investment, expertise; logistic etc have become necessary in order to ensure the speed of development of mineral sector. But there is no any appropriate mineral policy in Nepal.

Role of Mineral Resources in Economic Development

Mineral resources play an important role in an economy which is outlined as follows:
i)Fulfill the Basic Needs of the people: Mineral resources like iron, copper etc. are used to meet the requirements of households (kitchen purposes). The slate and zinc are used for roofing and natural gas is used cooking. Limestone and ocher are used for making cement and painting walls respectively. In this respect, the mineral resources largely meet the essential materials required to the housed consumption.
ii) Agricultural Development: Mineral resources like metals are used in manufactured of agriculture tools and implements such as spade, machines as well as irrigation devices for agriculture development. Pyrite, a mineral resource available in Nepal is very useful for producing chemical fertilizers.
iii)industrial Development: Mineral deposits provide the basic raw materials for industrial development. petrol, diesel, kerosene, coal are basic minerals for industries which are supplied from mineral resources. Heavy machinery and equipment industries are also established from mineral resources. Similarly mineral based industries such as cement, lead, agriculture lime, marble industries are established in Nepal. A model gas plant has been established to distribute natural gas drilled out from natural gas deposits in Kathmandu. Then the industrial development of a country depends largely on the availability of mineral resources.

Consequences of Deforestation

Deforestation has become a major problem of Nepal. It will be main obstacle for economic development of Nepal. If it is not controlled in time, it results in a number of adverse effects which are as outlined below:
i)Soil Erosion: Deforestation invites the problem of soil erosion and soil erosion becomes more intense and widespread. It is estimated that more than 240 million cubic meters of alluvium is wasted away every year from Nepal.
ii) Decline in Fertility: Due to soil erosion, fertile soil with organic contents is washed away. This brings about decline in  land productivity reducing its fertility. It impoverishes the fertility of soil, which in turn leads to the diminution of agricultural productivity in the country.
iii) Ecological Imbalance: It adversely affects the climate, oxygen and carbon dioxide contexts and rainfall. It leads to the environment deterioration. It also happens irregular and uneven rainfall.
iv)Flood and Landslide: Due to continuous deforestation and soil erosion, which brings landslide and flood. It increases the frequency and intensity of floods in the Terai and aggravates the problems of soil erosion an landslides along hill and mountain slopes.
vi) Danger to wildlife: It brings about the gradual disappearance of wild animals and birds now present in the forests of Nepal. The tigers, elephants and one horned rhino have been disappearing in these days.

Cause of Deforesation

Nepal was rich in forest resources few decades ago. In the year, 1964A.D. it had covered 45% area of the country. At the end of the tenth plan, forest covered area is estimated 39.6% however, situation is reverse now. The major causes for deforestation are as follows:
i)High Population Growth Rate: High population growth rate is one of the major causes of deforestation. Due to high growth of population, the dependency on forest is rising for every sector like the new an additional settlement, more fuel consumption, more house construction etc. For all these activities forest resource remained only one source
ii) Migration: Due to all internal and external migration problems people from hilly areas to Terai area, people cut or destroy the forest trees for the purpose of settlement as well  as cultivation. There is another problem of deforestation due to Bhutanese refugees and Indian border residents. So on the landless people destroy jungle to cultivate land etc.
iii) Major source of Fuel: Demand for energy consumption is gradually increased with the increase of  population in a country. Due to the lack of petroleum products, coals and slow development of hydro power, forest sector is the only one source, which contributes about 80 percent share of energy consumption alone. The fuel wood are extensively used for cooking, lighting and ago-based as well as cottage industries in rural areas. About 1000 sq.km. forest is destroyed every year for fuel wood alone.
iv) Lack of Employment Opportunities: The problem of unemployment and underemployment is rampant in the rural areas. There is problem of disguised unemployment in the agriculture sector. Farmers are engaged on the harvesting and post harvesting time. There are not any alternative opportunities outside the agriculture. hence, people illegally sell wood and fuel wood for extra income. Its is their supplementary sources of income.

Forest Resources

Role of Forest Resources in Development
    The forest is another important natural resources in Nepal. It has an important contribution in the economic and social development of the country. it is considered that Nepal is rich in natural resources. If only appropriate scientific management utilizes the natural resources. If only appropriate scientific management utilizes the natural resources, the pace of development will undoubtedly be accelerated. There is a saying of National Slogan "Hariyo Ban Nepal ko Dhan"(Green Forest is the wealth of Nepal"). It is a major source of government revenue. The government receives a substantial amount of revenue annually from this sector. It is very essential for maintaining ecological balance. The role of foreign sector in economic development is as follows:
  I) Main Source of Energy: In the context of Nepal, forest is the main source of energy. The forest as fuel wood supplies more than 80% of the total energy consumption. Majority of the people live in rural areas whereas the electricity system has not reached . So fuel-wood is the only source of energy for the rural people.
   ii) Source of Raw Materials: The materials for the forest based industries such as paper, plastics, matches, medicine, furniture etc. are fulfilled from forest. Other things such as medicalherbs, grass, cane, bamboo, Nigalo, fruits are available in the forest. The medical herbs, grass, cane, bamboo, Nigalo, fruits are available in the forest. The medical herbs have been utilized in Aurvedic Mediciness. About 700 species of medicinal herbs have been used for medicine. There is great prospect of development forest-based industries have been providing employment. The forest-base industries have been providing employment and income earning opportunities.
  iii)  Source of Fodder and Animal Habitat: It has helped grazing ground for the cattle. It supplies fodder such as grass to the cattle. In hilly region more than 50 percent of food is supplied by forest. It is the havitat of wild animals like tiger, bear, lion, one horned rhino, rare birds such as peacock, danfe, munal, colored butterfly.

Problems of Water Resources Development

Even though Nepal is rich in water power, but it has not been exploited to an adequate extent. It is presumably due to certain socio-economic constrains noted below:
i)Lack of Adequate Capital: The initial cost of executing large hydro-projects is amazingly huge, but Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. On the other hand, adequate fund needed for the task is not easily available. This stands as a strong financial constraint to the satisfactory development of water power.
ii) Lack of Skilled Manpower: The development of water power demands adequate skilled manpower of varied levels. Nepal, on the other hand, does not possess required number of competent personnel. The purse of the country does not permit the import to such manpower.
iii)Limited Market: Power development in a large scale pre-supposes the existence of wide industrial market close at hand. Since Nepal industrially a weak nation, extensive market for hydro-electricity does not exist in the country. Moreover, owing to low economic standard of the vast majority of the people in the country, adequate demand for hydro power, particularly in rural areas, does not exist as yet. The export of hydro-electricity is not guarantee because Nepal's neighborhood countries are not positive in the production of hydro-electricity in Nepal.

Role of Water Resources in nepal

Being a mountainous country with snow-capped Himalayan Ranges and with a large number of perennial rivers originating there from, the water resources of Nepal are very immense. If the underground water is also taken in consideration, the actual water resources available in the country renewable and is of substantial significance from the viewpoint of hydro-electricity, land irrigation, drinking water, etc. But so far very little use has been made of this valuable asset. The total potential water power in Nepal has been estimated to be 83 thousand MW, but the actual production of this energy at present is very negligible.

similarly, the total area irrigated from these water resources is computed to be not more 42% of the total cropped land in the country. The total population served with pipe water is also very negligible. As such, a rational approach towards their maximum utilization for upgrading national economy has become too urgent. There is great role of water resources in order to develop various sectors, which are explained as below.
i) Hydro-power Production ii) Development of Industrial Sector iii) Agriculture Development iv) Development of Transportation and Communication
i) Hydro-Power Production: Water resources is the main source of hydroelectricity. Nepal can produce sufficient hydro power for the fulfillment of power demand in the country . If  Nepal is able to establish differen hydro power projects in the different parts of the country, we will be able to supply power according to public demand. Similarly, by exporting surplus power, we can improve our deficit trade balanced.

Role of Natural Resources in Economic Development

The question on the role of natural resources in economic development has no way of controversial. Undoubtedly, they play a very important role in the economic development of a country. But some development economists consider physical resources as rather an importance phenomenon in economic development. Prof. Simon Kuznets defines as, "Every country has some natural resources. The factors that induce formation of adequate reproducible capital as a basis for economic growth are unlikely to be inhibited by an absolute lack of natural resources". However, japan and Israel are the historic examples of economic development, which are advanced in development in spite of meager endowment of resources. The economists of this view, hence, believe that the natural resources, as a matter of fact, do not play any decisive role in development of a country.
Some of the economists have regarded that natural resource endowment of a country as an important determinant of its economic development. Prof. Lewis believes that "Natural resources determine the path of progress" As a country endowed  with rich natural resources can progress at a faster rate than the countries having insufficient natural resources. Most of the advanced countries in the world are found to be rich in natural resources and their economic development has largely been based on their adequate resources base. They support economic development by curbing agricultural productivity, human efficiency and industrial development of the country.

Natural Resources of Nepal

Natural resources may be regarded as a free gift of nature to the human beings for fulfilling its certain basic needs of life. According to Eric Zimmermann,"Natural resources may be defined as that part of man's physical environment on which he depends for support in obtaining the means to attain certain needs." All physical things that are found within the approach of man's activities are considered natural resources. In other words, the natural resources include all the properties of nature found on land, water, and in the air of a country given by nature as free gift.

Hence, natural resources include automatically a country's land, soil, minerals, water, climate, forests, ocean, rainfall and rivers, which play a very important role in the economic development of a country. The natural resources can be classified in two parts-real and potential. Former relate to the present resources whereas the latter include all hidden stock of resources, which are explored under a resources development program..