Mysore/Mysuru: Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a leading development research organisation and a policy think tank in association with the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), flagged off the third round of the Indian Human Development Survey.

The study was inaugurated recently by Dr. G. Roopa, Deputy Mayor in the presence of Dr. K.H. Prasad, DHO, Mysuru, Prof. Sonalde Desai, Director of NCAER’s National Data Innovation Centre, Dr. Amaresh Dubey, Professor of Economics, JNU and Dr. Basavaraju R. Shreshta, Executive Director of GRAAM.

The Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) is one of the few large-scale studies in India to track changes in different aspects of human development in Indian States by studying the same households over a period of nearly 20 years between 2004-05 and 2022-23.

Given that the country has experienced substantial socio-economic changes in the past decade, this study will be an important moment to assess these changes. The study will also assist in the policies required to address the aftereffects of the pandemic.

In Karnataka, GRAAM has been the partner of NCAER to carry out the Indian Human Development Survey.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Roopa, who herself is a scholar with a Ph.D said, “research is to see what others won’t be able to see and understand beyond what others have understood. Field surveyors should use their wisdom and observation capacity to gather more information from the field beyond what they are taught in the training program”. “It is not about positive or negative data but about the quality data collected with integrity,” she added.

Dr. Sonalde said, “The data that will be collected through      this study will belong to the people of the nation and not the property of researchers. The expectations of common people will be fulfilled by providing good data and taking steps towards the development of people through this survey.”

Dr. Dubey opined that IHDS is unique as it helps us in understanding the lives of people in India and  also reflects the ‘diversity of large countries like India’, suggesting that this is the largest data set downloaded in India.

DHO Dr. Prasad said that the Human Development Index reflects the development of the nation. “The data gathered is measurable and this provides an opportunity for people to compare the indicators with other countries”, he said. He further suggested that social determinants determine the life of individuals in the country. Family’s development reflects the development scenario of the country.

In his introductory remarks, Dr. Basavaraju Shreshta stated that they will be visiting thousands of villages and by collecting quality data, they can help many institutions including the Governments to plan good development programmes for the people. This being a panel study, we get to understand the transition of people over two decades from poverty to prosperity. Understanding the importance of the study, NITI Aayog and State Governments are also supporting it, he added.

C.R. Usha, Head of Programmes, who is also spearheading IHDS in Karnataka, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Senior Research Fellow at GRAAM, Dr. Urs, Dr. Tiwari from NCAER were also present at the event. The study will be conducted over the next five months across 27 districts of Karnataka covering over 5,000 households and various Government and private health and education institutions.