GS Paper III — Q1
Distinguish between the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) with special…
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 ? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
भारत के विशेष संदर्भ में मानव विकास सूचकांक (एच डी आई) तथा असमानता-समायोजित मानव विकास सूचकांक (आई एच डी आई) में भेद कीजिए। आई एच डी आई को समावेशी संवृद्धि का एक बेहतर सूचक क्यों समझा जाता है ? (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
HDI estimates a country’s average achievement in health, education and income using life expectancy, mean/expected years of schooling and GNI per capita. IHDI starts from the same dimensions but adjusts them for inequality in their distribution, using the Atkinson inequality index, so it penalises unequal distribution more severely than HDI’s mean-based approach. In the Human Development Report 2025 (2023 data), India's HDI was 0.685 (rank 130 of 193), but inequality in health, education and income reduced it by about 30.7 per cent, one of the larger losses in the region. This overall gap is clearly visible in regional disparities—Kerala’s higher health and education outcomes versus Bihar’s lower ones—gender gaps in maternal health and schooling, and income concentration in the top decile. Because IHDI captures whether gains reach the bottom and middle, not just aggregate progress, it reflects development for all and aligns with SDG 10. Thus, IHDI is therefore a better overall indicator of inclusive growth for India.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS3 Economy: Inclusive growth and development indicators
What earns full marks: Clear distinction with current India data and a precise argument on why IHDI captures inclusive growth.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Distinguish HDI from IHDI with reference to India and explain why IHDI better reflects inclusive growth. 10 marks · 150 words
compare— paired headings or point-wise contrast → key differences → significance → conclusion
Must cover
- HDI: average achievement in health, education and income (life expectancy, schooling, GNI per capita)
- IHDI: HDI discounted for inequality within each dimension
- India's values: HDI 0.685 (rank 130 of 193, HDR 2025) with about 30.7% lost to inequality
- Why IHDI captures inclusive growth: distribution, not just averages
Loses marks
- Confusing HDI with GDI, GII or MPI
- Ignoring the India reference
- Treating IHDI as unrelated to HDI
Earns more
- Specific inequality dimensions in India (income concentration, gender, region, caste)
- Atkinson measure as the adjustment method
- UNDP as the source; comparison of losses with peers
- Link to SDG 10 and policy targeting
Extra mark
- India's gender inequality or GDI data
- State-level contrasts (e.g., Kerala vs Bihar)
What "Distinguish" is asking you to do
Name the property that separates the items and say which side holds it. Distinguish is marked exactly as differentiate is, with no difference in expectation, but its stems more often line up three terms rather than two — gender equality, gender equity and empowerment — and every pair in the set has to be separated.
Structure that answers it
The category they all sit in → the property dividing the first pair → the second pair → the third → why the boundary matters in practice
Where marks are lost
Separating the two obviously different items and leaving the middle term unplaced. A description of each side from which the line must be inferred is marked as description, not as a distinction.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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