Lack of sustainable development pushing India downwards in happiness index: Pranab Mukherjee
Kolkata : Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said lack of holistic approach and narrow-vision focus on economic development is pushing India downwards in the World Happiness Index in spite of its steady economic progress.
Hailing India for becoming the sixth largest economy in the world, Mukherjee said the country should strive for "sustainable development" by focusing on the concept of "Triple bottom line".
"Despite our country's economic progress, India is constantly going downwards in the happiness index. It has dropped down to 133rd place in 2018. This indicates a lack of holistic approach towards development.
"The quest of happiness is closely tied to the quest for sustainable development which is a combination of social inclusion and environmental sustainability," Mukherjee said while speaking at a seminar on People, Planet and Profit organised by the Indian Chamber Of Commerce.
"A narrow vision focus on economic development may have given us a better GDP and increase in per capita income but moved our focus from environmental sustainability, social welfare, emotional and mental wellbeing of our people. These are the primary reasons of our ranking in the world happiness index year after year."
The veteran politician said in scenarios as this the concept of 'triple bottom line' - an accounting framework that puts equal focus on social, environmental and financial development - becomes important.
Mukherjee pointed out while India has managed to bypass France with substantial figures in terms of its value of economy, it must be remembered that the current progress was not achieved in the last couple of years.
He said the country has shown steady improvement in GDP, national per capita income, life expectancy, literacy and food production while managing to bring down the poverty ratio significantly over the past 70 years.
"The recent World Bank report has placed India above France in terms of the value of economy in US dollar terms. But obviously it did not happen in the last couple of years or even in a couple of decades. IT has happened over seven decades," he added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
