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India’s Development Report Card vis-a-vis MDG

India has already prepared an interim report that shows mixed progress. According to an analysis by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) the government of India's budget allocations over the past three years indicate missed opportunities. India is severely lagging in poverty eradication, providing food for all, reduction in child and mother deaths and fighting infectious diseases.

Budgetary allocations for these remain highly inadequate as per the CBGA analysis. An example of low spending and misplaced priorities is visible in the effort to meet the 6th MDG –stamping out malaria, TB and other infectious diseases and combating AIDS. Spending related to target has stagnated at just 0.2% of the government's total expenditure between 2008-09 and 2010-11.

According to the data collected by CBGA shows that in the current year more than half of the total funds are being spent only on fighting AIDS. All other vector-borne diseases such as malaria, TB, Cholera, dengue etc gets a mere Rs 361 crore this year; down from Rs 367 crore last year. For poverty eradication and fighting hunger; the goal was to cut the existing rates in 1990 to half in 2015.But government expenditure on two major schemes that address this target have seen a proportional decline in 2010-11 over the preceding year. These schemes accounted for 10.7% of the total govt spending in 2009-10 but dipped to 10.2% in 2010-11.

Parameters MDG Targets for 2015 Current Status % Share of Govt
Budget (2008-11)
Poverty and Hunger 18.5% BPL population, 27% children underweight 37% BPL, 46% 10.4
Primary Education 100% 96% 2.2
Gender Parity   0.94 in primary,
0.82 in secondary
3.4
Under -5 Child Mortality 42 per 1000 live births 75 per 1000 live births 0.2

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