Masking the flaws

The piece came in The Hindu, Op-ED on July 18, 2017

Web Link: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/masking-the-flaws/article19298969.ece

Pradeep Baisakh

The government’s review report on the SDGs presents an inaccurate picture

The government claims to have made substantial progress in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In its Voluntary National Review (VNR) report, to be presented at the ongoing UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, it portrays a picture of ‘all is well’. However, the ground reality is in contrast to these claims.

A total of 44 nations, including India, have volunteered for review on various SDGs relating to issues like poverty, hunger, health and gender inequality. India’s report, prepared by the NITI Aayog, attributes the sharp reduction of poverty from 45.3% in 1993-94 to 22% in 2011-12 to the economic growth after liberalisation. However, a shadow report on SDGs prepared by civil society organisations in India, led by the Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA), states that India’s growth story of the last two decades has accentuated inequalities, perpetuated poverty and limited the choices of historically marginalised communities.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has lifted millions out of poverty since its inception in 2005. It created more than two billion person-days of employment in 2016-17 alone, states the VNR report. However, budgetary allocation to the scheme has slowed down in recent years, resulting in pending payments of Rs. 7,000 crore, according to the Centre for Policy Research. To reduce hunger and malnutrition, the National Food Security Act aims to provide foodgrains to 66% of the population, covering about 800 million people. To ensure transparency, 77% of the ration cards have been linked to Aadhaar. “But field evidence suggests that mandatory linkage with Aadhaar is excluding the most-needy in interior tribal areas,” points out Rajkishor Mishra of Right to Food Campaign.

Helping the farmers

The government, through its National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture, provision of soil health cards and crop insurance, claims to have helped small and marginal farmers, who form 80% of our farmer population. However, the claim falls flat in view of nearly 3,00,000 farmers committing suicide in last two decades. The NDA government may have promised to double farmers’ income, but the increase in MSP is strikingly meagre. Further, the Shanta Kumar committee’s recommendation of replacing PDS by cash transfer which will dispense with the procurement system, if it materialises, will sound the death knell to small-scale farming.

India has made significant progress over the years on basic health indicators like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), institutional deliveries and vaccination coverage. However, 62.4% of the total health expenditure is still out of pocket, putting a huge burden on the poor and the middle class, says the civil society report. In this regard, the aim of the National Health Policy, 2017 of providing affordable health care is welcome. Inclusion of a ‘gaps and lesson learned’ section in performance reviews will go a long way towards the attainment of the SDGs.

Pradeep Baisakh works with Global Call to Action Against Poverty