Health ails, says UNDP

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.

Target: Halve between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.

Since early 1990s, food production in developing countries has tripled. The real price of the main cereal crop has gone down by 76 per cent. Between 1980 and 1995, per capita food production increased 27 per cent in Asia and 12 per cent in Latin America. Although hunger is most prevalent in South Asia, it is going up in Africa. If all food produced worldwide were distributed equally, every person would be able to consume 2,760 calories a day (hunger defined as consuming less than 1,960 calories).

India is home to the largest number of hungry people, 233 million, whereas Sub Saharan Africa has 183 million, China 119 million. The largest reductions have been in China.

Indian states that implemented land reforms saw poverty fall faster between 1958 and 1992.

EDUCATION

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education.

Target: Ensure that by 2015, children cover full course in primary schooling.

In India, 40 million children are not in school, which is more than a third of the world’s total.

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women.

Target: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005 and in all levels of education no later than 2015. The ratio of illiterate females to males is 0.82, a marginal improvement from 0.74 in the last decade.

HEALTH

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

Target: Reduce maternal mortality rate by two third between 1990 and 2015.

In India, the infant mortality rate has come down from 80 in 1990 to 67 (per 1,000 live births) in 2001.

Goal 5: Improve maternal health.

Target: Reduce maternal mortality rate by three quarter between 1990 and 2015.

The maternal mortality rate is 440/100,000 live births. Only 43 per cent births are attended by skilled health personnel.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Target: Halt by 2015 and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Halt by 2015 and reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Every high income OECD country spends at least 5 per cent of its GDP on public healthcare. India has barely crossed 3 per cent. The report warns of large number of cases of HIV/AIDS in the coming decade if nothing is done.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability.

While Bangladesh has 97 per cent people with sustainable access to an improved water source in rural areas, it is 79 per cent in India.

In sanitation, India is worse off than its South Asian cousins as people with access to sanitation is 61 per cent as compared to 95 per cent in Pakistan.

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development: debt sustainability.

Some good news on this front: India’s total debt service has come down from 29.2 in 1990 to 12.6 in 2001 as percentage of exports of goods and services).