COVER HINDI - Ministry of Women and Child Development

7.4 One of the major concerns of policymakers in India,
in the recent times, has been the relative stagnation in key
human development indicators particularly among the
disadvantaged sections of population even after one and a
half decades of impressive economic growth since early
Table 1: Child Survival Indicators for India & its Neighbouring Countries
7.5 There have been positive trends with certain indicators
in the social sector, particularly those which respond to
vertical, campaign-like approaches including the near
1990s. In terms of several indicators of human
development including those relating to children, such as
Infant Mortality Rate and Under Five Mortality Rate, India
lags behind not only developed countries but also some of
its neighboring developing countries (see Table 1 below).
Country Under-Five Mortality Rate (per 1000) Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000 live births)
1990 2003 1990 2003
Sri Lanka 23 15 19 13
China 49 37 38 30
Bangladesh 144 69 96 46
India 123 87 80 63
Nepal 145 82 100 61
Pakistan 128 103 96 81
Source: Government of India, Economic Survey 2004-05;
UNDP, Human Development Report 2005.
Moreover, the overall picture for India hides significant
disparities across the States. Table 2 below shows the
Table 2: Child Survival Rates across Different States in India
Under Five Mortality Rate (per 1000) Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000 Live Births)
Year 1998-1999 1999 2004
Data System (NFHS II) (SRS) (SRS)
India 94.9 70 58
Kerala 18.8 14 12
Maharashtra 58.1 48 36
TN 63.3 52 41
Orissa 104.4 97 77
Bihar 105.1 63 61
Rajasthan 114.9 81 67
UP 122.5 84 72
MP 137.6 90 79
Source: Government of India, National Health Policy 2002; SRS 2006.
wide differentials in child survival rates across the
States.
eradication of polio, a significant increase in the literacy
rates and also in the enrolment of both boys and girls in
primary schools. However, the progress has been slow in
120 Annual Report 2006-07