A recent study by World Vision India, an NGO that works for the welfare of children, revealed that districts from Kerala and Tamil lead in child well-being in southern India. Districts from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka meanwhile did not perform as well in the study. The parameters upon which the final list was decided included child-centric indicators — life, bodily health, bodily integrity, senses, imagination, thoughts, emotions, practical reasons, affiliation, play and control over one’s environment.
According to the final report, in the southern region, the following districts ranked one to five, in terms of child well being — Kottayam (Kerala), Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), Ernakulam (Kerala), Pathanamthitta (Kerala) and Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu). Adilabad (Telangana), East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh), Raichur (Karnataka), Chikkaballapura (Karnataka) and Bijapur (Karnataka), scored the least points in south India.
Stressing on the importance of collecting data on children's welfare, Madhav Bellamkonda, National Director and CEO of World Vision India said, “Investments in early childhood development are pertinent for a better tomorrow for our children, especially at a time where uncertainty has intensified around us. Child well-being is an important conversation in the development sector and it is critical that we understand it in a holistic manner."
The study which was conducted across the country, adopted Nussbaum’s capability approach to measure child well-being, which is centred around the notion of individual human dignity. The report captures a region-wise analysis in terms of the Child Well-Being index across 640 districts in 28 states and nine union territories using 99 indicators.
The Child Well-Being Index is a tool designed to measure and track children’s well-being comprehensively. The approach puts the quality of life and happiness of the child at the forefront and aims at increasing the capabilities of the child in accordance with the basic indicators in each domain.