Millennium Development Goals: A Mixed Report Card for India

India is home to one-fourth of the world’s poor. Credit: Neeta Lal/IPSBy Neeta LalNEW DELHI, Feb 14 2015 (IPS)Despite being one of the world’s fastest expanding economies, projected to clock seven-percent GDP growth in 2017, India – a nation of 1.2 billion – is trailing behind on many vital social development indices while also hosting one-fourth of the world’s poor.While the United Nations prepares to wrap up a decade-and-a-half of poverty alleviation efforts, framed through the lens of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by the end of this year, the international community has its eyes on the future."A focus on accelerating sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth is key to poverty eradication." -- Ranjana Kumari, director of the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Social Research (CSR)The coming development era will be centred on sustainability, driven by targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Home to one-sixth of the world’s population, India’s actions will determine to a great extent global efforts to lift millions out of destitution in the coming years.Experts say its patchy progress on the MDGs offers some insights into how the country will both assist and hold back global development efforts in the post-2015 era.Earlier this month the U.N. released a report lauding India’s efforts to half the number of poor people living within its borders to the current 270 million since the country joined hands with 189 U.N. member ...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - February 14, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Neeta Lal Tags: Aid Asia-Pacific Civil Society Development & Aid Economy & Trade Editors' Choice Featured Food & Agriculture Gender Global Governance Headlines Health Human Rights Labour Population Poverty & MDGs Projects Regional Catego Source Type: news