India:

Misplaced priority

''It’s indicative of the poor quality of governance.''

India can draw quiet satisfaction overall from the findings of the latest Human Development Report. Its human development index has grown by 21 per cent over the past decade and inequality between states has narrowed somewhat. Social indicators for Dalits, Muslims and women seem to be improving. Besides, the rate of decline of poverty among SCs and STs is higher than that among the rest of the population. Impressive improvements in literacy have been made and this appears to be pulling up the country’s human development index. However, nutrition and health are not improving fast enough. That dazzling economic growth rates are no guarantee for improving health and nutrition of the masses has been borne out by the poor performance of some rich states in tackling malnutrition and poverty. Gujarat leads other states in attracting FDI. The percentage of malnourished children in this ‘vibrant’ state exceeds the national average.   Karnataka is another rich state that is performing poorly in addressing health and nutrition issues. The percentage of women in Karnataka suffering from anaemia is higher than the national average. Its hunger index of 23.7 puts it at the tenth slot in the country, second only to Gujarat among the rich states. Even earlier studies have pointed to the alarming levels of hunger in Karnataka. A 2008 study showed that hunger levels in Karnataka put it on par with Rwanda, Malawi and Cambodia. Yet successive governments have neglected public health and nutrition even as they are willing to extend subsidies to the software and biotech sectors, the liquor industry and so on. The large number of hungry stomachs and intensifying problem of anaemia in the state stand testimony to the warped vision and misplaced priorities of our decision makers and planners. Our government and the media would have us believe that India is a superpower in the making. Karnataka, likewise, likes to bask in its image of a software superpower. The reality on the ground indicates it might be more appropriate to describe ourselves as a gangrenous giant. That millions continue to suffer acute hunger and malnutrition and die of treatable illnesses almost 65 years after India attained freedom from colonial rule is a damning indictment of the quality of governance in this country. It is not a shortage of resources but misplaced priorities that is keeping our people weak, hungry and ill. ================================================= deccanherald.com