Question

Which three factors are considered in the Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) ?

• A. Per capita income, literacy rate, and life expectancy.
• B. Infant mortality rate, basic literacy, and per capita income.
• C. Life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and basic literacy.
• D. Economic growth rate, human development index, and happiness index.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and basic literacy.

Physical Quality of Life Index - PQLI

• Physical Quality of Life Index came in to use in 1979, when an index more scientific than the per capita income was found necessary.
  

• Instead of using per capita income as a single criterion for development, the Physical Quality of Life Index takes in to consideration the following three factors.

1. Life expectancy – Average life span of a human being

2. Infant mortality rate – It is the number of deaths of infants (below one year) in a year per 1000 births.

3. Basic literacy – The percent of a country’s population that can read and write is the literacy rate

• Physical Quality of Life Index views development in a different perspective. For example:
  
  Increase in health care facility leads to better standard of living and economic development.
  
  Introduction of new educational facilities improves quality of education and standard of living.
  
  Though the Physical Quality of Life Index is a better measure of economic development than the per capita income, the fact that it ignores per capita income is a major limitation.