IS HAPPINESS THE KEY OF GROWTH ????

I was just thinking that what topic I should choose to write my next blog. While struggling with my own thoughts just decided to cover something different from my previous blogs.

So I decided to right something on Human Happiness Index. Now let me tell you what exactly Human happiness index is, it also known as happy planet index.

As we know the economic growth of any country is greatly depend on the rate of their GDP (Gross domestic product) but today scene is completely changed. Now not only GDP but also the HPI of a country depicts the economic growth of any country.

In an age of uncertainty, society globally needs a new compass to set it on a path of real progress. The Happy Planet Index (HPI) provides that compass by measuring what truly matters to us – our well-being in terms of long, happy and meaningful lives – and what matters to the planet – our rate of resource consumption. The HPI is an inventive measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world. It is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives.

The Index doesn’t reveal the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It shows the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens. The nations that top the Index aren’t the happiest places in the world, but the nations that score well show that achieving, long, happy lives without over-stretching the planet’s resources is possible.

The HPI shows that around the world, high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being, and that it is possible to produce high well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. It also reveals that there are different routes to achieving comparable levels of well-being. The model followed by the West can provide widespread longevity and variable life satisfaction, but it does so only at a vast and ultimately counter-productive cost in terms of resource consumption.

HPI 2.0 has been calculated with new improved data sets for 143 countries, covering 99 per cent of the world’s population. Scores range from 0 to 100 – with high scores only achievable by meeting all three targets embodied in the index – high life expectancy, high life satisfaction, and a low ecological footprint.

The results turn our idea of progress on its head. Whilst the HPI confirms that the countries where people enjoy the happiest and healthiest lives are mostly richer developed countries, it shows the unsustainable ecological price we pay. It also reveals some notable exceptions – less wealthy countries, with significantly smaller ecological footprints per head, having high levels of life expectancy and life satisfaction. In other words, it shows that a good life is possible without costing the Earth.

INDEX SHOWING HPI RATING

Rank	Country	HPI
1	Costa Rica	76.1
2	Dominican Republic	71.8
3	Jamaica	70.1
4	Guatemala	68.4
5	Vietnam	66.5
35	India	53.0
143	Zimbabwe	16.6

Now the question is that are we wisely using our resources. Are we wise enough in proper consumption of the resources available? Our we really happy enough because we are standing on 35^th position in the index and the countries like Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Vietnam, Colombia are far ahead from us in the index. The result of this index was much unexpected and we are not holding very good position in HPI.

So we should make some sincere efforts for the economic growth of our country so as to achieve good HPI rating.