Letters: For sustainable progress

The world is approaching a milestone for global development in 2015. As the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) reach their December 2015 deadline, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) will be adopted by world leaders as part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda agreed upon at the United Nations General Assembly in September this year. The new sustainable development agenda seeks to ensure that the momentum generated by the MDGs is carried forward beyond 2015 to not just substantially reduce poverty, hunger and other deprivations, but to end them altogether and provide a life of dignity to all.

At this crucial juncture, the responsibility of steering the development of the country has passed on to a new government. It is an opportune moment to take stock of the MDGs achieved and the lessons learned and incorporate them into the design and implementation of the SDGs.

Looking back at India's experience with the MDGs, it is important to review achievements and goal-specific gaps at the national level. India has made notable progress towards reaching the MDGs but the level of achievement varies across goals. It has reached the target for reducing poverty by half according to Indian estimates - and is close to doing so by international estimates. The country has achieved gender parity in primary school enrolment and is likely to do so in secondary and tertiary education, too, by the end of 2015. India is set to reduce hunger by half, maternal mortality by three quarters and control the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

However, India is lagging behind in achieving universal primary school enrolment and youth literacy by 2015, empowering women through employment and political participation, reducing child and infant mortality and improving access to sanitation.

Arijit Dash, Cuttack

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