Infant Mortality Rate is used as a development indicator even in states where healthcare infrastructure appears adequate. Explain what IMR captures and why a consistently low IMR is considered a reflection of a state's broader social and economic development — not just the quality of its hospitals.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:22 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) indicates the number of children dying before the age of one year per 1,000 live births in a given year.
IMR reflects far more than hospital quality. A low IMR depends on:
- Adequate nutrition of mothers and infants
- Access to clean drinking water and sanitation
- Literacy of mothers, especially regarding childcare
- Economic security of families to afford basic needs
Kerala's IMR is 6 (per 1,000) compared to Haryana's 28, despite Haryana having a higher per capita income. This proves that IMR captures the combined effect of income distribution, education, nutrition, and social equity — making it a reliable indicator of overall human development, not just medical infrastructure.
Source: Income and Other Criteria, Chapter 1
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Explanation
The examiner expects students to:
- Define IMR correctly (as given in Table 1.4's explanation).
- Explain the multiple factors behind IMR — not just hospitals, but nutrition, sanitation, literacy, and income distribution.
- Use the Kerala vs. Haryana example from the textbook — this is the key evidence the chapter uses to show per capita income alone is insufficient.
- Conclude that low IMR = broad social development, not just healthcare quality.
Avoid writing a general essay; keep it tight with 2–3 causal factors and the Kerala–Haryana contrast.