GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry of Planning
RAJYASABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2554
TO BE ANSWERED ON 15-12-2011
Un Development Programme
2554. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:
Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:
(a) whether it is a fact that according to the latest release of the UN development programme, India ranked lower than its neighbors, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, on multi-dimensional Poverty Index and Gender Inequality Index;
(b) If so, the details thereof; and
(c) The corrective measures that Government proposes to take in this regard?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. ASHWANI KUMAR)
(a) to (c): The Human Development Report (HDR) - 2011 titled "Sustainability and Equity: A better future for all" published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), places India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka at 129th , 115th and 74th rank respectively in Gender Inequality Index (GII). As regards Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), the report indicates an MPI value of 0.283 for India for the reference year 2005 compared to an MPI value of 0.264 for Pakistan for reference year 2007 and 0.021 for Sri Lanka for reference year 2003.
The data on different component indices and specific parameters used to compute the Gil and MPI are based on various surveys conducted by national and international agencies following different methodology and different· reference periods; hence the indices are not strictly comparable across countries. It is clarified that India’s achievement in overall quality of life indicated by Human Development Index (HDI) has improved over years from an HDI value of 0.410 in 1990 to 0.461 in 2000 and further to 0.547 in 2011.
The Government's strategy of achieving high growth rate, generating more employment opportunities and strengthening of social infrastructure such as public health and education through implementation of flag hip programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyaan (SSA) and poverty alleviation by providing wage and self employment, safe drinking water and total sanitation campaign, etc. have impacted the human wellbeing positively and are expected to improve India's HDI ranking further.