Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to have ‘Happiness Department’

Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to have ‘Happiness Department’

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to set up ‘Happiness Department’.

The department will work to ensure “happiness in the lives of common people” on the lines of Bhutan.

A panel of experts will be formed in the newly-constituted department which will give suggestions to ensure happiness in the lives of the people.

The department will identify and define parameters that make people happy, coordinate among various departments, recommend policy changes and formulate an action plan to “increase the level of happiness and satisfaction” among the state’s more than 7.25 crore population — all on a Rs 3.60 crore budget.

The department will have a president, a chief officer, a director (research), a director (coordination) and four research assistant among others. Experts working in the field could be nominated to the department.

The department will take feedback from people on the happiness parameters at regular intervals, publish survey reports and carry out research to improve the existing parameters.

Background:

Bhutan, the first country to come up with the concept of gross national happiness, has fixed standards of living, health, education, good governance and psychological happiness among the various parameters that make its citizens happy.

• Some of the US states that follow Gross National Wellness have included emotional and psychological ability, physical health, work, income, economic progress and holidays among other parameters.
• The parameters used by the United Nations include per capita GDP, health, community cooperation during bad times, and trust-inducing measures like corruption-free government and business, freedom to take decisions, and philanthropy.

World Happiness Report:

The World Happiness Report 2016 by the UN ranks India at 118th among 156 countries, behind Somalia (76), China (83), Pakistan (92), Iran (105), Palestinian Territories (108) and Bangladesh (110). Madhya Pradesh, which has made remarkable progress in agriculture in recent times, does not figure among the country’s developed states, and fares badly when it comes to social indices like maternal and infant mortality. It also has a very high rate of crimes against women.