MDGs - Critical for Inclusive Development of India

Oxfam India believes that attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is critical to the inclusive development of India as a whole. While India has seen great economic surge in recent years, the endemic poverty also threatens its chances of sustaining that growth. It is the well fed, healthy and educated populace which ultimately takes a country towards its sustainable progress. Towards this end, MDGs provide first set of critical measurable indicators agreed globally by the nations, which tell us how societies are moving for eradicating poverty through a sustainable path.

At the same time, it would be important to highlight that MDGs also have to be seen integral to people’s basic human rights. Hence our call for people’s right to food, universal quality education, basic health care have to be ensured in order to achieve MDGs. This would also demand a policy framework which is holistic and is not simply targeted at MDG indicators alone. In this light, Right to Education Act is a very good beginning. One also hopes that similar Acts would be passed soon securing people’s right to food and health care. Oxfam India, believes in working towards these goals in order to achieve MDGs esp. for the socially excluded communities of Dalit, Tribals, Muslims and Women.