Delhi’s capital report: significant reductions and some failures

The Delhi government released the report on Millennium Development Goals

After the NITI Aayog released the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report in July, ahead of the Sustainable Development Summit to be held in New York on September 25 the Delhi government released the capital report.

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 MDG, although it is “on track” to achieve them shortly.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said most of the goals have “either been attained or likely to be achieved shortly.” He added that with the current 0.3 per cent rate of reduction in poverty, the target of halving poverty between 1990 and 2015 as per the MDG will be achieved by 2017. The report is especially important because it marks the deadline by which the MDG should be achieved.

Terming malnourishment of children as significant indicator of food security, the report said the percentage of underweight children (under three 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, Mr. Sisodia said.

The most notable achievement has expectedly been in the field of telephone users. According to the report, the teledensity per 100 population has increased from 41.8 in 2004 to 218.9 in 2011.

“There are 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, Mr. 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 according to the MDG. He said the Aam Aadmi Party-led government is focused on education and by next year the government will achieve the target.

“Delhi is close to achieving 100 per cent youth literacy rate by 2015.” Mr. Sisodia claimed that Delhi has already attained the target for eliminating gender disparity in primary education and was very close to attaining the same in secondary and tertiary education.