NGOs’ alert: Indian government’s failure on MDGs will fail the world

Thousands of ordinary people across 12 states rallied together on Saturday to review the government’s performance on the historic Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by India at the United Nations Summit in 2000. July 7, 2007 marks the mid-point of the MDGs timeline, which ends in 2015. The progress made by India will significantly determine whether the world as a whole will be able to meet some of the most critical targets of the MDGs – such as in relation to Infant Mortality Rates (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR), school enrolment and retention, access to water and sanitation. In addition to the State-level review, a national level ‘Mid-Term Checklist’ revealed that 80% of people living below US$ 1 in South Asia live in India. Again, the TB prevalence rate in India (344 per 100,000 people) is comparable to that of some of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Checklist evaluates the MDGs as also the Planning Commission’s National Development Goals and the government’s Common Minimum Programme, both of which reflect the MDGs. “On this date we are highlighting the key challenges that the government must overcome to address poverty, hunger, ill-health, illiteracy, environmental degradation and social exclusion,” said Amitabh Behar, Convenor, Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Keep your Promises Campaign), a national coalition of nearly 3,000 organizations across 23 states. “These themes are reflected in the eight MDGs and in the government’s own goals and promises to us. If our government fails on its promises, the world will not achieve the MDGs,” he said. The Wada Na Todo Abhiyan is an assertion of people’s power to demand accountability from the government. On July 4, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met and told a delegation comprising of the representatives of the coalition that many of government’s key anti-poverty and development programmes with high investment can be more effective with the participation of citizens and credible NGOs. He referred, for instance, to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act which was more effective in states where there was a high level of “citizens’ watch.” The delegation was led by its partner alliance, Social Watch India, to give to the Prime Minister its annual “Citizens’ Report on Governance & Development 2007.” The report monitors the performance of the Parliament, Judiciary and Local Self Governments and, over the last five years, has been recognized as a unique commentary on governing institutions from the perspective of the ‘have-nots.’ The WNTA itself annually reviews the Common Minimum Programme. The ‘3rd Civil Society Review Report of the National Common Minimum Programme’ was given to the Prime Minister on the same occasion. WNTA’s state-level member organizations and alliances released Mid-Term Review Reports of their State governments in Orissa, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. “There were also consultations between people and state government representatives, media conferences and rallies. In Orissa, for instance, there was a discussion on how Dalit groups can influence budget allocations in the context of the MDGs. All the reports will be available on our website so that anyone can see what the ground reality is on our government’s promises,” said Lysa John, National Campaign Coordinator, WNTA. For further information contact: Pasang D. Lepcha Programs Associate Wada-Na-Todo-Abhiyan National Secretariat C-1/E, Second Floor, Green Park Extension Behind Yusuf Sarai Gurudwara, New Delhi 110 016 INDIA Tel: 91-11-46082371 to 74 / Fax: 91-11-46082372 Email: info@wadanatodo.net/ Web: www.wadanatodo.net 91-11-46082371 9810745404

User comments

There are no comments

 Printable version