India is expected to reduce its poverty rate from 51 per cent in 1990 to 24 per cent in 2015, slashing the number of extremely poor by 188 million. But progress in the rest of South Asia is not sufficient to halve the level of poverty by that target date, according to a United Nations report on the Millennium Development Goals for 2010.
The sharpest reductions worldwide continue to be recorded in East and South-East Asia, where the MDG target to halve extreme poverty has already been met, while most of South Asia is in danger of missing it.
The percentage of people living on less than $1.25 a day in East Asia dropped from 60 in 1990 to just 16 in 2005, and from 39 to 19 in South-East Asia.
The rate of poverty in China is expected to fall to around five per cent by 2015.
The report suggests that while the economic crisis took a heavy toll of jobs and incomes around the world, its impact does not threaten to derail the MDG target of cutting extreme poverty by 50 per cent.
Economic troubles
But it also indicates that progress against hunger has been impacted more severely by economic troubles. The ability of the poor to feed their families was hit by skyrocketing prices in 2008, and falling incomes in 2009.
Malnourishment
In East Asia, after a striking drop in the prevalence of hunger in the 1990s, the rate of malnourishment stalled at 10 per cent between 2000 and 2007. South-East Asia, already close to the target of cutting the hunger rate by half against the 1990 levels, made additional progress but it was not as rapid as its rate of poverty reduction. In South Asia, the prevalence of hunger actually increased from 20 to 21 per cent between 2000-2002 and 2005-2007.
Releasing the report, Brinda Karat, MP, expressed the hope that the Centre would look at the report with the seriousness it deserved. “Though the report is optimistic of meeting the MDGs, it cannot be achieved unless accompanied by a reversal of the current policies.”
Food security was crucial for achieving the goals, she said calling for urgently putting into effect legislation on food security.
Official statistics on the number of the poor in the country seemed incorrect, as all other indicators were showing a negative trend, she said.
Keywords: Millennium Goals, United Nations, Brinda Karat, food security
Comments:
world bank defined poverty as less than 1 $ per day per head. It is very unrealistic to accept this definition. If it is strictly followed for quantifying poverty in India, it may lead to staggering figures. The estimates of GOI, are often biased. The 51 percent poverty as envisaged is absolutely wrong. Millions of Indian suffer from, malnutrition and several thousands of children die due to that. There is a need to have realistic estimates. The rural and urban slum of this country suffer from unwanted morbidity and untimely mortality.
It's a fact that between 2002-2007 the Malnutrition rate has been dropped from 57% to 55% but on the other side government has no specific reasons on increasing poverty, in states like MP, UP, Assam, which ultimately causes malnourishment. We have well oriented policies to end poverty and increasing the standard of living of people below poverty line but at the ground level they are no way changing the scenario and in such circumstances 51% is a quiet unrealistic data.