Poverty rate in India will dip to 24% by 2015
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COMMENTS 
The number of poor people in India is expected to halve by 2015, according to a United Nations 2010 Millennium Development Goals report
India’s poverty rate is set to decline from 51% of the population in 1990 to 24%, over the next five years. That translates to around 188 million more people meeting a minimum subsistence standard of $ 1.25 a day. So says a new analysis by the London-based Overseas Development Institute and the UN Millennium Campaign.
“Removing poverty is clearly the most important of the goals, as it has clear linkage to the other MDGs (Millennium Development Goals),” says economist Jayati Ghosh.
United Nations member states had, in 2000, agreed to eight MDGs. These were to halve the prevalence of poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development.
In China, the poverty rate is expected to dip to 5% of the population by 2015, while India too is likely to eradicate extreme poverty. But progress in the rest of South Asia has been characterised as slow and not enough to cut poverty to half, by 2015.
In fact, African countries are making the most overall progress in achieving the MDGs. The report says 11 of the 20 countries making the most absolute progress are among the poorest in Africa. Also, the analysis indicates about half of African countries are on track towards cutting poverty in half by 2015.
There has been little good news about achieving the Millennium Development Goals in recent years, and the global food and economic crises haven’t helped improve the outlook. This latest report, however, says a closer look reveals some positive signs.
The final analysis shows that even if the target date of 2015 is not met, many poor countries are moving in the right direction.
Source: The Financial Express, June 24, 2010
Press Trust of India, June 24, 2010
AFP, June 24, 2010