While more than 30 crore people here still live in extreme poverty

About 30 crore people still live in extreme poverty in India even as the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) programme will expire in December, a United Nations report has said.

“Still nearly 300 million people live in extreme poverty in India and face deprivation in terms of access to basic services, including education, health, water, sanitation and electricity,” the report - India and the MGDs: Completing the Task - said. India, which has a population of over 125 crore, adopted the

United Nation’s MGD in 2000 with an aim to free millions from extreme poverty and hunger, illiteracy, poor health. The eight-point MGD among others targets promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improve maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and environmental sustainability. “India has made a great progress on MGDs, but there is no room for complacency, because there are gaps  relative to the goals and targets. India has an opportunity to become a leader in sustainable development, said the report.