UPSC Mains 2025 GS3 Q1: model answer
Distinguish between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) with special reference to India. Why is the IHDI considered a better indicator of inclusive growth ?
What the question wants
Difference between HDI and IHDI, India's figures, and why IHDI captures inclusion better.
How to structure it
Intro: UNDP indices. Body: (1) Differences (HDI, IHDI); (2) India; (3) Why IHDI is better for inclusive growth. Conclusion: Reporting progress on IHDI would keep policy focused on those left behind.
- 1(1) Differences (HDI, IHDI)
- 2(2) India
- 3(3) Why IHDI is better for inclusive growth
Model answer
UNDP's Human Development Report measures well-being beyond income. The HDI gives the average achievement; the IHDI, introduced in 2010, shows how much of it is lost to inequality.
| Basis | HDI | IHDI |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | Average achievement | Achievement after inequality discount |
| Dimensions | Health, education, income | Same three, each adjusted for distribution |
| Equal society | — | IHDI = HDI |
| India (HDR 2025) | 0.685, rank 130 | About 30% lower than HDI |
Differences
- HDI: geometric mean of life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and GNI per capita. It is an average.
- IHDI: discounts each dimension by its inequality across people. If everyone were equal, IHDI would equal HDI; the gap is the 'loss' due to inequality.
India
- HDR 2025 placed India 130th with an HDI of 0.685 (medium human development).
- Inequality cuts India's HDI by about 30%, among the larger losses in the region, driven by gaps in income and education.
- Women's labour force participation and regional gaps (Bihar vs Kerala) explain much of it.
Why IHDI is better for inclusive growth
- Inclusive growth means gains reaching all; an average can rise while the bottom stays still.
- It shows where to act: in India, income and schooling gaps more than life expectancy.
- It allows comparison across countries with similar averages but different distribution.
Reporting progress on IHDI would keep policy focused on those left behind.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
HDI dimensions IHDI loss HDR 2025 India rank 130 inclusive growth
Where most answers lose marks
- Giving IHDI as a separate set of indicators; it is the same dimensions adjusted.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/GENERAL-STUDIES-PAPER-III-QP-CSM-25-010925.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.