For long, the widely discussed concept of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been projected as a clearcut, quantifiable parameter for the measurement of the overall economic growth of a nation. But then how far the yardstick of GDP holds mirror to the development of a nation, there are no “sure shot and definitive” indicators. Significantly, since the debt crisis hit the world with a certain degree of fury in 2008, there has been a serious rethink on the efficacy of GDP as a yardstick of economic development and social progress.
However, the tiny and ravishingly beautiful Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan flanked by India and China has gone beyond the concept of GDP to project the idea of Gross National Happiness(GNH).
As it is, the expression of GNH was first coined by the fourth King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck way back in 1972. In fact, this concept was advocated to signal the commitment of Bhutanese royalty to build....
