Sustainable Development and the Philosophy of Grand National Happiness: Socio-Economic and Genetic Paradigm

Abstract

The issue of development is based, in all forms and levels, on attaining equilibrium of development and environmental sustainability over time. Development is related to enhancement of the quality of human life in terms of increase in economic growth, infrastructure, industrial output, per capita income, adequate social security and polity, which is partly achieved by exploitation of nature or sometimes one section of people for the benefit of another section.

Just as a gold medal has another face, development has also a dark hidden face. Development being an economic action tends to cause environmental damage. Environmental degradation disrupts the developmental process in the LDCs by imposing heavy cost on expenses on health as well as reduction on the productivity and human resources. In such a mad race of development, instead of growth statistics, the LDCs should look into a Grand National Happiness Index (GNHI) in framing the regional development co-ordinates. In this paper an attempt is made to highlight the philosophy of GNHI by encompassing socio-economic, genetic and environmental elements.