Human Resource Development: Evidence of Inadequate Attention and Investment

Human resource development is central to a country's long-term social and economic progress, as it enhances the capabilities, productivity and well-being of its people. However, despite its critical importance, areas such as education, healthcare, nutrition and skill development have often received inadequate and uneven attention, limiting the effective utilisation of India's demographic potential.

Evidence of Neglect in Human Resource Development

• Education
  • Education Spending Below the Stated Goal
    • Public expenditure on education has remained below the level envisaged in national policy, limiting investment in teachers, infrastructure, learning resources and quality improvement
      • Public expenditure on education has remained at around 4 per cent of the GDP, well below the long-standing policy target of 6 per cent
  • Persistent Teacher Shortages
    • Vacancies, uneven deployment and single teacher schools reduce the quality of classroom instruction, particularly in rural and remote areas
      • According to UDISE+ data for 2025-26, India has 1,00,843 single-teacher schools across all management categories
  • Weak Learning Outcomes
    • Expansion of enrolment has not been matched by adequate improvement in learning outcomes, showing that access has often received greater attention than actual capability formation
      • Near-universal enrolment (RTE-driven) has not translated into proportionate learning outcomes. ASER-type findings have historically shown foundational literacy/numeracy gaps at upper-primary levels
        • ASER 2024 found that only 23.4% of Class III children in government schools in rural India could read a Class II level text
  • Persistent Skill Mismatch
    • A large number of educated youth lack the practical, technical and employability skills required by the labour market, indicating weak integration between education and skill development
      • Economic Survey 2023-24: Only 51% graduates employable
  • Limited Formal Skill Training
    • A large section of the workforce acquires skills informally and remains outside structured vocational training, apprenticeships and certification systems, limiting employability and adaptability to changing labour market needs
      • As per PLFS 2023-24, 4.1 per cent of the person of age 15-59 years have received formal vocational/technical training, while another 30.6 per cent received training through informal sources
• Health
  • Relatively Low Public Health Spending
    • Limited public investment constrains expansion of health infrastructure, recruitment of healthcare personnel and availability of quality services, particularly in underserved areas
      • India's public health expenditure is 1.9%(roughly) of GDP, still short of the 2.5% target by 2025 under the National Health Policy, 2017.
  • Shortage of Healthcare Personnel
    • Uneven availability of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals affects access to timely and quality healthcare
  • Unequal Access to Quality Healthcare
    • Rural, tribal and remote populations often face greater difficulties in accessing adequate healthcare facilities and services
  • Persistent Malnutrition
    • Continued prevalence of undernutrition, anaemia and poor maternal and child nutrition shows that a basic foundation of human development remains weak
      • NFHS 5 recorded 35.5% of children under five as stunted, 19.3% as wasted and 32.1% as underweight, showing continuing deficits in a basic foundation of human capital formation
      • NFHS 5 found anaemia among about 67% of children aged 6 to 59 months and around 57% of women aged 15 to 49 years, adversely affecting health, cognitive development and productivity
  • Regional Disparities
    • Significant differences across States and districts in education, health, nutrition and skilling indicate uneven attention to human resource development
  • Social Group Disparities
    • Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other disadvantaged groups often face poorer access to quality education, healthcare, nutrition and skill opportunities, resulting in unequal human resource development across social groups
    • Gender Gaps: Women and girls continue to face disadvantages in access to nutrition, healthcare, education and skill opportunities, limiting the full development of human capabilities

These persistent gaps indicate that Human Resource Development has not received policy attention and investment commensurate with its central importance to India's development. .