AMRAT FOUNDATION

India has been moderately successful in reducing poverty. The Poverty Headcount Ratio which is estimated to reach 18.6 percent by 2015 (according to the Government of India MDG Report 2009) is likely to miss the target by about 3.5 percentage points.

However, eradicating hunger remains a key challenge. The proportion of population that has a dietary energy consumption of below the permissible standards of 2,100-2,400 kcal has risen from 64 percent in 1987-88 to 76 percent in 2004-05. Malnourishment is also an indicator of food insecurity. In 1990, when the MDGs were formulated 53.5 percent of all Indian children were malnourished. Since then, progress has been slow. In India, the proportion of underweight children below three years has declined by only one percent between 1998-99 and 2005-06 to 46 percent. It is estimated that malnourishment could decline to 40 percent by 2015. This would still be below the target of reducing malnourishment to 28.6 percent.

Target 1.A:

• Building Skills, Eradicating Poverty: Participating in India's Growth Story
• Building Sustainable Livelihoods
• Functional Literacy � The Language of Empowerment
• Water in the Land of Extremes

Target 1.B:

Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people

Target 1.C:

Focus on reduction of the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

• Hunger - an ongoing issue in India
• Globally, about 842 million people are estimated to be undernourished.
• More than 99 million children under age five are still undernourished and underweight