India's Progress Towards Achieving the Targets Set in the Millennium Development Goals

Abstract

The Millennium declaration signed by leaders of 189 countries and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000 by all the Member States of the United Nations have become a universal framework for development and a means for developing countries and their partners to work together. This blueprint agreed upon by all the countries has eight goals-which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education and gender equality by the target date of 2015-and has galvanized an unprecedented effort to meet the needs of all. The MDGs are interlinked and have set measurable time-bound goals on commitments in the development agenda. The status report on Millennium goals for India published in 2005 evaluates the progress made so far from the base year 1990 and also highlights the strategies developed for the attainment of the MDGs in 2005. (excerpt)