Human Development Reports - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The Malda District Human Development Report [DHDR] is among the first comprehensive studies to be conducted in India on human development at sub-district level. As such, it forms a model for many more human development studies of a similar kind that will be carried out subsequently in the other West Bengal districts and eventually in all districts across India. The importance of this exercise that has been jointly facilitated by UNDP and the Planning Commission as part of the mainstreaming of the human development approach through the project on Strengthening State Plans for Human Development lies in the potential it holds for transforming the process of development planning within the state of West Bengal and its constituent districts into one that draws in full participation from the people as ultimate
stakeholders and beneficiaries in development. The Malda DHDR is a direct sequel to the earlier West Bengal Human Development Report [WBHDR] published in 2004, which identified the district of Malda as being one of the most deprived in the state in terms of human development. The choice of Malda as a location for one of the first DHDR exercises to be conducted in West Bengal serves to identify the most pressing developmental constraints in a district where the impact of these has been most severe. By focusing the study on Malda, a parallel effort has also been made to build the institutional capacity in the district for human development based planning at district-level. The Malda DHDR is thus expected to serve as the future foundation for formulating a comprehensive District Human Development Plan for
Malda district.

Year: 2007
Type: HDR Resources
Region: Other Publications
Country: National Reports