[India] to achieve MDGs on time

from SIFY Business

The Centre on Monday said the country will achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) adopted by the United Nations to strengthen social infrastructure within the stipulated timeframe and funds will not stand in its way.

"We will not only achieve the goals set under the National Common Minimum Programme but also the MDGs, well within the timeframe," Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation G K Vasan said, releasing the India country report on MDGs.

"We are already way ahead in poverty eradication and in providing drinking water. By end of March, every village will have access to safe drinking water and funds will not be a constraint for any of these programmes," Vasan said.

The report stated that as on 1999-2000, the poverty headcount ratio was 26.1 per cent and the poverty gap ratio 5.2 per cent. To achieve the MDG of eradicating poverty and hunger by 2015, India will have to reduce the number of people below poverty line to 18.75 per cent from the 1990's count of 37.5 per cent.

The minister said introduction of the two per cent cess in education and National Rural Employment Guarantee programme and schemes under Bharat Nirman would help achieve the MDGs quicker.

On the utilisation of MPLADS funds, Vasan said in the last 18 months the spendings had increased to almost 90 per cent from 82 per cent and the entire spendings record of both present and former MPs would be available on the internet by the end of this fiscal.