US human rights body criticises India
New York: Two United States-based human rights watchdogs have accused India of failing to uphold its international obligations to ensure that the fundamental rights of Dalits are safeguarded. “As a result, more than 165 million Dalits are condemned to a lifetime of abuse because of their caste”, the Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice and Human Rights Watch claimed in a report. “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has rightly compared untouchability to apartheid, and he should now turn his words into action to protect the rights of the Dalits”, said Professor Smita Narula, co-author of the report.
A woman dies every 7 minutes
New Delhi/Gwalior: One woman dies every seven minutes in India due to pregnancy-related complications, and these are conservative estimates since over 30% of maternal mortality cases go unreported, according to estimates. India has one of the worst statistics in the world as far as maternal mortality goes. Even Bangladesh and Lanka have lower maternal mortality ratios than India, according to Unicef. One of the prime worries in India has been its inability to reduce maternal mortality despite efforts for decades and increased funding and schemes introduced by the govt. This has been attributed by Unicef MMR project officer Karuna Bishnoi to a lack of medical facilities in rural areas, lack of trained birth attendants and almost 65% of births taking place at homes without assistance from trained attendants. India at present has an MMR of around 301, which means 301 mothers die during delivery, or within 42 days after delivery, for one lakh live births. At this rate, India will be unable to reach the millennium development goals (MDGs).
Childcare neglected
New Delhi: India has higher levels of malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa, despite the Asian giant having more funds and better infrastructure to tackle the problem, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Feb.21. A recent survey by the Indian health ministry, backed by UNICEF has found that almost 46% of children under the age of three are undernourished. About 35% of children in sub- Saharan Africa region are malnourished.
