Poverty

The head of the World Bank James Wolfensohn said in Tokyo that solving Asian’s grappling economic crisis required not just financial rescues packages but wholesale social development. The president of the World Bank has rightly maintained that the need in Asian is to pay particular attention to the social development, whose profile is low particularly South Asia as a whole. The observations of the President merit attention of governments in India and Pakistan.
I am reminded of late Dr. Mahboob ul Haq’s two classic reports on Human development in South Asia 1987, 1988. He emphasized the need for promoting human resource development, though his realization dawned on him when his trickle downs these justifying the creation of income inequalities to achieve high growth rate, yielded frustration to him. The over emphasis placed on growth led to a woeful neglect of the social sectors in Pakistan. The sense of remorse itched him which is reflected in his later book “Poverty Curtain”. He becomes a staunch advocate of social sectors including education. The trend is reflected in both the reports and the ground dismal realities attract the attention of reader. It is in the fitness of things that a resume of the reports is presented to acquaint the general reader with the gruesome realities.