Capital to miss few MDG’s, ‘on track’ to achieve others

In spite of significant reduction in ‘extreme poverty’, infant and maternal mortality, and near universal enrolment in primary education, Delhi has failed to meet few parameters set by the Millennium Development Goals, although it is “on track” to achieve them shortly.

The facts were put forth in a report released by the Delhi government on Tuesday ahead of the high-level Sustainable Development Summit in New York on September 25, where 17 new goals, to replace the eight MDGs, are to be adopted by world leaders.

The report said that the proportion of people below the poverty line in Delhi estimated for 2011-12 was 9.9 per cent in comparison to 15.7 per cent during 1993-94, the base year of MDG.

Releasing the report, ‘Millennium Development Goals Delhi State Report 2014’ prepared by the Institute of Human Development (IHD) in collaboration with Delhi Planning Department, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that most of the goals have “either been attained or likely to be achieved shortly.” 

Sisodia said that with the current 0.3 per cent rate of reduction in poverty, the target of halving the poverty between 1990 and 2015 as per MDG will be achieved by 2017.

Terming malnourishment of children as a significant indicator of food security, the report said that the percentage of underweight children (under 3 years) in Delhi decreased from 36.2 per cent in 1992-93 to 24.9 per cent in 2005-06.

To halve the 1990 proportion, the required reduction for the next 10 years is only 0.7 per cent, which can be achieved easily, Sisodia said.

The most notable achievement has expectedly been in the field of teledensity, i.e. telephone per 100 population, which jumped from 41.8 in 2004 to 218.9 in 2011.

“There <g data-gr-id="49">are</g> 29.1 per cent of households which have personal computers comprising 17.6 per cent households having internet facility,” the report said.

On the primary education front, Sisodia said the net enrolment ratio in primary education was 97.6 per cent during 2012-13 and proportion of pupils completing it was 99.7 per cent in 2010-11, “near to universal” as envisaged in MDG.

“The youth literacy rate (15-24 years old) was 96.46 per cent during 2011-12. So, Delhi is near to achieve 100 per cent Youth Literacy Rate by 2015,” it said.

Sisodia claimed that Delhi has already attained the target of eliminating gender disparity in primary education and was very close to <g data-gr-id="48">attain</g> the same in secondary and tertiary education.

“Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector was 17.1 in 2011-12. <g data-gr-id="54">Proportion</g> of seats held by women in State Assembly was 4.3 per cent in 2013 which increased to 8.6 per cent in 2015,” the report added.