Group of Indian lawmakers to take forward MDGs

New Delhi: Civil society can play a crucial role in instigating the government to work for the overall development of society, said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Vayalar Ravi. He was speaking in a ceremony held in New Delhi yesterday to launch the Handbook for Parliamentarians on the MDGs.

The Handbook has been prepared by Parliamentarians’ Group on Millennium Development Goals (PG-MDGs) in association with Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy (CLRA) and Oxfam India.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Vayalar Ravi releasing the Handbook/ Photo credit: WNTA

Since the success or failure of Millennium Development Goals is contingent on how far the elected representatives participate in the process, it is being viewed as an important exercise to sensitise lawmakers on the issues at stake.

Lamenting the fact that over 400 million Indians are still struggling to put together a single meal in a day, Vayalar Ravi said he fully endorsed the eight goals and was looking forward to work with civil society members to realise each one of them.

Dr Maxine Olson, UN Resident Representative, who was present at the occasion as Guest of Honour, put it succinctly: “It is important that political leaders speak out so that people are aware of their positions on MDGs.”

She further added that India’s progress on critical indicators such as maternal and infant mortality, food security, school enrollment and retention and universal access to water and sanitation would determine if the world as a whole would achieve the MDGs.

Nisha Aggrawal of Oxfam India was pleased that the PG-MDGs was formed. She added that all civil society groups in the country were looking forward to working with them to achieve the common objective of eradicating poverty from India.

The PG-MDGs, as the name suggests, comprises Members of Parliament (MPs) in India and has presently 30 members cutting across party lines determined to take forward the agenda of achieving the millennium development goals.

Executive Director of CLRA Vinod Bhanu said: “This is the world’s first initiative of this kind, and we hope that it will provide inspiration for parliamentarians in other countries.”

Two focus groups have also been formed on health and education, which includes Ms Viplov Thakur, Madhu Goud Yakshi, Dr P. Koya and Dr K.S. Manoj; the other group on climate change has Suresh P. Prabhu, Prof. M.S. Swaminathan and Sudhakar Reddy.

The Handbook will serve as an important document to educate and sensitise parliamentarians. It tells them as to what they can do about the MDGs in terms of monitoring progress, pressurising local bodies and government to frame and implement policies, ensure sufficient budgetary allocation, etc.

The Handbook also gives an overview of each of the goals and targets, their status, current policies and gives a set of recommendations to achieve the goals.

Supriya Sule, Chairperson of PG-MDGs, signed a statement on behalf of all members of the group.

The statement rued: “Unfortunately, India’s present status on critical indicators of development presents a bleak picture. With one-third of our total population living below the global poverty line, India continues to be home to nearly a quarter of the world’s poor. The presence of more than 200 million malnourished people and half the world’s malnourished children in India makes it evident that hunger is indeed one of the most pressing issues of human security in our subcontinent.”

The statement appealed: “We call on our fellow parliamentarians, legislators and the people of India to stand unified in the resolve to put the country on track…”

All parliamentarians present on the occasion like Vayalar Ravi, Suresh Prabhu, R. Senthil, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Supriya Sule were requested to sign on a board that had a pledge written: “We will keep our promise to end poverty and achieve the MDGs.”