IIT Kharagpur to help MP measure, enhance happiness

The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur will collaborate with the Madhya Pradesh government to chalk out a 'Happiness Index' for measuring the well-being of residents, an official said on Monday.

"IIT Kharagpur's Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness signed an MoU with the Department of Happiness under the Madhya Pradesh government to collaborate on the development of Happiness index for measuring the well-being of the people," an official statement said.

"The MoU was signed in Bhopal in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and IIT Kharagpur Director P.P. Chakrabarti," it said.

Chouhan had tweeted about the recent development: "The Madhya Pradesh government's #AnandSansthan has signed an MOU with @IITKgp & @ISBedu Hyderabad to develop a Happiness Index & run an online course on fulfilment."

This collaborative work would be administered as per the requirement of the state government with IIT-Kgp developing the Index and analysing data collected by the government in order to assess the level of happiness and develop recommendations that can be used to enhance happiness.

"IIT Kharagpur will also develop an online screening and assessment system in order to screen and identify suitable volunteers from the huge of database of more than 30,000 people who have offered to volunteer," the statement said.

"Later, IIT Kharagpur will also develop online courses on happiness with certification through evaluation system available at CET, IIT-KGP. This will be done by the team of experts at the Rekhi Centre in consultation with other national and international experts."

GNH (Gross National Happiness) is a unique approach to development, which originated in Bhutan.

The concept is enshrined in the country's 2008 constitution which says "the state shall strive to promote those conditions that will enable the pursuit of Gross National Happiness".

It aims to strike a balance between material and non-material values, prioritising the happiness and well-being of humans and all life.

The GNH index measures the conditions and satisfaction of Bhutanese people according to the nine domains.

The GNH philosophy considers that all of these aspects of life contribute to the human potential to achieve true happiness.