India to miss UN goals for poverty, hunger, infant mortality
NEW DELHI: India is expected to miss the crucial UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG), including those related to reduction in poverty, hunger and infant mortality, according to a government report.
The poverty ratio is likely to be 26.7% by 2015 as against the target of 23.9%, while infant mortality rate (IMR) would be 43 per 1,000 live births against the milestone of bringing it down to 27.
The child mortality rate would be at 52 per 1,000 live births compared to the target of 52, according to the Statistical Year Book 2013 released by minister of statistics and programme implementation Srikant Kumar Jena.
According to the report, the poverty ratio is likely to be 26.7% compared to MDG target of 23.9% by 2015. It was 29.8% in 2009-10.
India was supposed to halve the percentage of population below the national poverty line by 2015 over the 1990 level. In 1990, poverty ratio was 47.8% that came down to 37.2% in 2004-05.
India was also required to reduce the mortality rate for children under-five years to 42 per 1,000 live births by 2015. However, the current estimates suggest that it would be around 52 when the MDG deadline lapses.
The latest data suggests that maternal mortality rate (MMR) would come down to 139 per 1 lakh births by 2015 from 437 in 1990, while the nation is expected to reduce MMR by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 to 109 per 1 lakh births.
"Malnutrition continues to be a major hurdle," the report said.
The trend of the proportion of underweight (severe & moderate) children below three years shows that India is going slow in eliminating the effect of malnourishment. From estimated 52% in 1990, the proportion of underweight children below three years is required to be reduced to 26% by 2015.
According to official estimates, the proportion of underweight children has declined from 43% during 1998-99 to 40% in 2005-06.
At the historical rate of decline, the proportion is expected to come down to only about 33% by 2015 vis-a-vis the target of 26%.
While India is expected to lag behind on health indicators, the performance is upto the mark on education front.
It is expected to meet the target to ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary education.
"Achieving universal primary education is round the corner," the report said.
The data shows that the country is well set to achieve 100% primary education for children ahead of 2015.
"Gender parity has already been achieved in primary education (in 2007-08 itself) and the disparity in secondary education is set to disappear by 2015," the report noted.
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