The happinessgrowth disconnect should go
Creating jobs, hospitals can raise the happiness quotient in Andhra and MP
The Telugu Desam government is planning to formulate a Happiness Commission headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu that will take up programmes to push up the happiness quotient in Andhra Pradesh. The state is the second in the country to introduce a ministry for happiness, after Madhya Pradesh. The commission is likely to take up State-led activities to improve the psychological well-being of people. Andhra Pradesh and MP are following the example of Bhutan, which was the first place to evolve a ‘happiness index’ and link it to development, otherwise based on GDP numbers, in the 1970s.
Can mere setting up of departments ensure that Indians in these states feel happier? A United Nations study on happiness, released in March, suggests otherwise. India ranks 122nd out of 155 countries, the worst in South Asia, with only the poorest African nations below us. The UN gauges happiness on per capita GDP; healthy life expectancy; freedom; trust; social support; and generosity. Even if generosity, trust and freedom can be perceived as intangible, expecting a high score on ‘healthy life expectancy’ in a country where access to basic medical services is elusive for many, is being ambitious.
Madhya Pradesh features in the list of states with severe malnutrition, as per the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative report 2017. In case Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Mr Naidu are serious about making people happier — once access to roti, kapda, water and broadband has been ensured — they should invest in creating jobs and a robust medical infrastructure. Mr Chouhan was last in the news for reportedly asking the police to “break the backs” of those found harassing women. And Mr Naidu was caught on camera rebuking a farmer at a public meeting in February. Ensuring that the State wields a gentler touch and personal freedoms are not restricted could be other steps towards making the citizens feel more generously disposed towards the world.