Why in News?
- Government has come out with the Voluntary National Review (VNR) report on progress in achievement of SDGs to be presented at the ongoing UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
- India’s report is prepared by the NITI Aayog.
Does the report reflect the ground reality?
- This report provides an assessment of progress on issues like poverty, hunger, health and gender inequality.
- But the claims made in the report are in contrast to the ground reality in many factors.
- On poverty the report claims a sharp reduction in the last two decades attributing it to economic growth after liberalisation.
- However an independent civil society organisation report highlights increase in inequality and poverty over the same period.
- The report claims that MGNREGA has created employment opportunities and significantly reduced poverty.
- Ground reality however reflects that budgetary allocation has come down and resulted in a huge sum of pending payments.
- National Food Security Act was introduced with an aim to reduce hunger and malnutrition.
- The measure of mandatory linkage of ration cards with Aadhaar to ensure transparency has actually excluded the most-needy in interior tribal areas.
- The claims on National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture falls short with the reality of farmers committing suicide.
- Provision of soil health cards and crop insurance has failed to benefit small and marginal farmers.
- Dispensing with the procurement system to replace PDS by cash transfer is said to affect small scale farmers.
- India has for sure made progress in basic health indicators like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), institutional deliveries and vaccination coverage.
- However out of pocket expenditure for health is a still a huge burden on poor and the middle class.
Quick Facts
SDGs
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global goals with aims to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
- SDGs are an outcome of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit.
