Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to approve setting up of Happiness Department

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on 15 July 2016 gave its nod to set up Happiness Department in the state. The department will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness.

With this approval, Madhya Pradesh became the first state of the country to set up such a Department.

Apart from the department, the cabinet also decided to establish a state Happiness Institute under the Happiness Department. Initially it will have a budget of three crore 60 lakh rupees.

Also Read: UNSDN released 2016 World Happiness Report

Functions of the Happiness Department

• It will prepare guidelines for coordination between different departments for propagating happiness in the state.

• It will identify and define the parameters of happiness and efficiency.

• It would also prescribe action plan and activities for experiencing happiness.

• The department will assess mind-set of state's people from time to time.

• It would compile and publish survey reports pertaining to status of happiness.

• It will undertake constant researches regarding means of expanding happiness and improve norms to assess them.

The Happiness Department will include a Chairman, a CEO, a director each for Research and Coordination and an accounts officer, four posts of Research Assistant, six Junior Assistant and five peons.

Background

Earlier, the plan of having a Happiness Department was announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in April 2016. The decision of having such a department was made after making an in-depth study of the measures undertaken by United Nations, the Government of Bhutan and the US' International Management Institute to assess the status of happiness among citizens.

At present, Bhutan is the only country to have officially adopted gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product as their main development indicator. It adopted the happiness index after UN General Assembly in July 2011 passed a resolution inviting member countries to measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies.

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