Abstract
This chapter discusses major policy interventions implemented by the respective states and major international non-governmental organizations to promote quality of life and well-being for the people of South Asia. These substantial efforts are continuing into the present era with considerable levels of success. Taken together, these multilateral initiatives are strengthening the region’s economic progress and development, especially with respect to both national per capita and GDP. Both outcomes have significant poverty implications in world regions that have historically been characterized by alarmingly high levels of financial poverty and human deprivation. GDP share spent on education and health by each country of the region and its trend over time is discussed for comparison purpose. Major initiatives taken to improve education and health standards by South Asian governments, international agencies, and NGOs are reported to gain a better understanding of regional priorities. The steps proposed and followed in order to combat corruption and the methods designed to deal with governance deficit are examined to hopefully influence future policy direction.
This physical world has no two things alike.
Every comparison is awkwardly rough.
You can put a lion next to a man,
but the placing is hazardous to both.
[Rumi]a
asee Banks 1995, p. 177.
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- 1.
See news item captioned Govt Says No To WTO For Now available from https://thebhutanese.bt/govt-says-no-to-wto-for-now/ retrieved on 28.06.2018.
- 2.
This information is obtained from the website of Press Information Bureau, Govt of India which is available at http://pibarchive.nic.in/ndagov/Initiatives.aspx.
- 3.
See World Bank, Enterprise Surveys (http://www.enterprisesurveys.org/) retrieved on November 14, 2018.
- 4.
See World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files from World Development Indicators retrieved on July 22, 2018.
- 5.
INR 1000 is equivalent to around USD 14.5.
- 6.
See The Economic Times Daily, Nov 15, 2018 retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/economy-would-have-collapsed-but-for-demonetisation-s-gurumurthy/articleshow/66641864.cms.
- 7.
An anthology of research studies on MGNREGA by the ministry of rural development, government of India for the period between 2006 and 2012 mentions this statement in its foreword. Available at https://web.archive.org/web/20130921125532/ http://nrega.nic.in/netnrega/writereaddata/Circulars/MGNREGA_SAMEEKSHA.pdf.
- 8.
As reported in the Indian daily the Economic Times: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-10-10/news/42902947_1_world-bank-world-development-report-safety-net.
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See Footnote 13.
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See https://www.bracu.ac.bd/ for details.
- 22.
Read about this news http://www.brac.net/component/k2/item/978-brac-ranked-number-one-ngo-in-the-world.
- 23.
Read about all the awards and recognitions http://www.brac.net/recognition?view=page.
- 24.
Micro financing is a banking service which was initially meant for people belonging to poor and/or marginalised section of society who did not have access to formal banking system. However now Micro Financing Institutions operate as non-banking financial corporations, providing loan to other people as well.
- 25.
See http://grameenresearch.org/history-of-grameen-bank/ for details.
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As depicted in Table 3.1, data for 2016 is available for Bangladesh, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. However, for Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal it is of 2015 and that of India is of 2013. Hence for comparison here, only 2016 data is compared. It is observed that in 2015, Bhutan had largest allocation at 7.39% of GDP for education.
- 39.
The information regarding developments in Afghanistan has been retrieved from official website of the Ministry of Education, Government of Afghanistan (http://moe.gov.af/en/page/2020).
- 40.
This information is gathered through EFA report prepared by Bangladesh government and submitted to UNESCO. The report is available at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002305/230507e.pdf.
- 41.
See PPD (2018), the details retrieved on November 18, 2018 from http://www.education.gov.bt/downloads/epgi.pdf.
- 42.
Education For All Movement.
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National Secondary Education Movement.
- 44.
The national gross enrolment ratio (2012) prior to the launch of RUSA was 20.8 (male 22.1 and female 19.4) which has increased to 24.5 (male 25.4 and female 23.5) in 2015–2016.
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National Higher Education Movement.
- 46.
Detailed guidelines of RUSA are available at http://rusa.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/draft-guidelines.pdf.
- 47.
This information is obtained from the website of Press Information Bureau, Govt of India available at http://pibarchive.nic.in/ndagov/Initiatives.aspx.
- 48.
The draft is available for comments and suggestions at https://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/Draft_NEP_2019_EN_Revised.pdf.
- 49.
The information is obtained from the website of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Government of Nepal [https://moe.gov.np/article/1008/educational-brochures-2017.html].
- 50.
This information has been taken from the National Education Policy 2017–2025 document available at: http://www.moent.gov.pk/userfiles1/file/National%20Educaiton%20Policy%202017.pdf.
- 51.
As per Oxford Dictionary it is defined as: “A fundamentalist Muslim movement whose militia took control of much of Afghanistan from early 1995, and in 1996 took Kabul and set up an Islamic state. The Taliban were overthrown by US-led forces and Afghan groups in 2001 following the events of September 11.” Accessed from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/taliban.
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This information is taken from the official website of National Education Council, available at: http://nec.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Towards-a-New-Education-Act.pdf.
- 61.
Pirivenas are traditional educational institutes which offer training to Buddhist clergy and lay students who wish to pursue education in a Buddhist environment.
- 62.
All the countries studied in this monograph are member countries of SAARC.
- 63.
The 30th World Health Assembly in May 1977 through resolution WHA30.43 decided that - “the main social target of governments and of WHO in the coming decades should be the attainment by all the citizens of the world by the year 2000 of a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life” (WHO, 1985, p. 1) which was translated as a mission to achieve “Health For All.” This resolution considered health a basic human right and a world-wide social goal which is essential to the satisfaction of basic human needs and the quality of life.
- 64.
The information has been obtained from the official website of the ministry of public health, Government of Afghanistan (http://moph.gov.af/en).
- 65.
The National Health Policy 2011 as available on http://www.mohfw.gov.bd/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1475&lang=enis in Bangla language. The key features have been highlighted.
- 66.
This is followed by the Bangladesh government which emphasises coordination among different ministries and departments related to public health and medical service.
- 67.
Second order after district.
- 68.
The information is obtained from the website of the World Bank available at: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/05/06/government-of-afghanistan-signs--100-million-grant-with-world-bank-to-improve-afghans-health-outcomes.
- 69.
See p. 6 of the report. The report is downloaded from the website of the ministry (http://moph.gov.af/Content/files/National%20health%20policy%202015-2020.pdf) retrieved on November 29, 2018.
- 70.
The information was obtained from The Economic Development Policy of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2010 which is available at the https://www.gnhc.gov.bt/en/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/EDP.pdf.
- 71.
See GOI (2017).
- 72.
Total Fertility Rate or TFR as it is used in demographic literature, is defined by the World Health Organization as—“the number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her life time if she were subject to the prevailing rate of age specific fertility in the population”. Retrieved from: http://www.searo.who.int/entity/health_situation_trends/data/chi/TFR/en/.
- 73.
India became the first country in the world to initiate family planning program in 1952 with the goal of lowering fertility and slowing the population growth rate (accessed from https://humdo.nhp.gov.in/about/national-fp-programme/).
- 74.
This is a hindi term, if translated in English it means—action against gender violence.
- 75.
This is a hindi term, if translated in English it means—Prime Minister safe maternity campaign.
- 76.
The information regarding SLTHP is obtained from the department’s website which is available at: dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2nd-Long-Term-Health-Plan.docx.
- 77.
As per report in Dawn—national daily newspaper appeared on 31st Aug 2016—https://www.dawn.com/news/1281107 (retrieved on 14 Sept 2018).
- 78.
The National Health Vision document is available at http://www.nationalplanningcycles.org/sites/default/files/planning_cycle_repository/pakistan/national_health_vision_2016-25_30-08-2016.pdf.
- 79.
Ibid.
- 80.
Retrieved on September 18, 2019 from http://www.health.gov.lk/moh_final/english/public/elfinder/files/publications/policiesUpto2016/policiesForPublicOpinion/NHP2016-2025draft.pdf.
- 81.
Accessed from https://www.usaid.gov/afghanistan/democracy-governance.
- 82.
- 83.
- 84.
- 85.
- 86.
Accessed from http://pibarchive.nic.in/ndagov/Initiatives.aspx.
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Shrotryia, V.K. (2020). Major Policy Interventions for Human Well-Being in South Asia. In: Human Well-Being and Policy in South Asia. Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33270-9_3
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