india"s progress towards mdg goals

India has seen a gradual reduction in maternal mortality and in under 5 child mortality rate over the past few decades. The 11th five year plan sets out the objective of reducing maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live births, reducing infant mortality rate to 28 per 1000 live births and reducing Total Fertility Rate to 2.1,all this to be achieved by 2012 the last year of the current plan. India’s commitment to achieving the MDG goals 4 and 5 would require us to meet these targets by the year 2015.

As per this report the rate of increase in institutional deliveries is slow from 26% in 1992-93 to 47% in 2007-08.Skilled birth attendance at deliveries has increased from 33% to 52% in the same period. By 2015 India can expect only 62% deliveries to be attended by skilled personnel. The rural urban gap in coverage by skilled birth attendants in 2005-06 was 36%.However the projections in institutional delivery have since been greatly accelerated with the introduction of the Janini Suraksha Yojna.

India’s Infant mortality rate declined from 129 deaths per 1000 live births in 1971 to 53 in 2008.The rate of decline has been slowing from 19 points in the 1970s to 16 points in current decade. Currently the urban IMR is 36 as compared to the rural IMR of 58. Total Fertility Rate had reduced from 5.2 in 1971 to 2.6 in 2008.In all but six states at current rates of decline India would be able to achieve replacement levels by 2015.However these six states account for much of the population and there is much to be done before these modest goals are achieved.

anjitha:19