Demonstrating the on-track progress to attain Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of halving poverty by 2030, more than 41 crore people exited poverty between 2005-06 and 2019-21 according to the UN Mutilidimensional Poverty Index.
Aspirational District
The Government of India launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ (Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP)) initiative in January 2018.
Aspirational Districts (ADs) across 28 States/UTs have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite indicators ranging from health and nutrition, education, agriculture, and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development, and basic infrastructure which have an impact on HDI.
All districts have made significant improvements across different indicators for instance, under Health and Nutrition, 46 districts have improved by up to 45 per cent, and 23 districts have improved by up to 69 per cent in critical indicators related to pregnant women’s health which have a bearing on the Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates such as frequency and coverage of antenatal care check-ups; regularity of supplementary nutrition intake by pregnant women, and timely Anaemia detection and treatment rate.
Public Digital Infrastructure
Transforming welfare through technology, Aadhaar and JAM trinity have revolutionalised the universe of state-citizen interaction, enabling targeted delivery of Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT)
Seamless portability of ration card across States through ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ and national database of unorganised workers ‘eShram portal’.
Women
Self-Help Groups (SHGs), having demonstrated their resilience and flexibility during Covid, can be an effective conduit to tap the rising willingness of females to work.
The noticeable rise in Rural Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) from 19.7 per cent in 2018-19 to 27.7 per cent in 2020-21 is a positive development.
Education
National Education Policy (NEP), the improvement in basic facilities in schools and the rising availability of teachers is expected to yield dividends which will enrich the nation’s growth and development prospects in the decades to come.
Health
Ensuring the provision of quality health facilities to citizens, the share of government health expenditure in total health expenditure has increased from 28.6 per cent in FY14 to 40.6 per cent in FY19, with a concomitant decline in out-of-pocket expenditure as a percentage of total health expenditure from 64.2 per cent in FY14 to 48.2 per cent in FY19.
The share of expenditure on health in the total expenditure on social services, has increased from 21 per cent in FY19 to 26 per cent in FY23 (BE).
The National Health Policy, 2017 envisages as its goal “the attainment of the highest possible level of health and well-being for all at all ages, through a preventive and promotive healthcare orientation in all developmental policies, and universal access to good quality healthcare services without anyone having to face financial hardship as a consequence.
This would be achieved through increasing access, improving quality, and lowering the cost of healthcare delivery.” Accordingly, the policy recommended an increase in the Government’s health expenditure from the existing 1.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025.
The Government has also strengthened the health infrastructure and prepared itself to address present and future needs.
Labour
As on 31 December 2022, total over 28.5 crore unorganised workers have been registered on eShram portal.
Female registrations stood at 52.8 per cent of the total and 61.7 per cent of total registrations belonged to the age group 18-40 years.
State-wise, Uttar Pradesh (29.1 per cent), Bihar (10.0 per cent), and West Bengal (9.0 per cent) accounted for nearly half of total registrations.
Agriculture sector workers contributed to 52.4 per cent of the total registrations, followed by domestic and household workers (9.8 per cent), and construction workers (9.1 per cent).
Achievements of Aadhaar
Aadhaar is an essential tool for social delivery by the State.
318 Central schemes and over 720 state DBT schemes are notified under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, and all these schemes use Aadhaar for targeted delivery of financial services, subsidies, and benefits.
Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2019-2029
The ASI, conducted by MoSPI, is an important source of industrial statistics of the registered organised manufacturing sector of the economy.
It covers all factories registered under Sections 2m(i) and 2m(ii) of the Factories Act, 1948, i.e., those factories employing ten or more workers using power; and those employing twenty or more workers without using power.
As per the latest ASI FY20, employment in the organised manufacturing sector has maintained a steady upward trend over time, with the employment per factory increasing gradually.
In terms of share of employment (total persons engaged), the food products industry (11.1 per cent) remained the largest employer, followed by wearing apparel (7.6 per cent), basic metals (7.3 per cent), and motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers (6.5 per cent).
State-wise, Tamil Nadu had the largest number of persons engaged in factories (26.6 lakh), followed by Gujarat (20.7 lakh), Maharashtra (20.4 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (11.3 lakh), and Karnataka (10.8 lakh)
Education
The year FY22 saw improvement in Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) in schools and improvement in gender parity.
GER in the primary-enrolment in class I to V as a percentage of the population in age 6 to 10 years - for girls as well as boys have improved in FY22.
This improvement has reversed the declining trends between FY17 and FY19.
GER in Upper Primary (enrolment in class VI to VIII as a per cent of the population in age 11-13 years), which was stagnant between FY17 and FY19, improved in FY22. In corresponding age groups in Primary and Upper-Primary levels, girls’ GER is better than boys.
School Drop-out
School dropout rates at all levels have witnessed a steady decline in recent years. The decline is for both girls and boys.
School Infrastructure
The basic infrastructure facilities in schools – both in terms of the number of recognised schools and teachers’ availability reflected in the Pupil-Teacher Ratio, showed an improvement in FY22.
The Government launched a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) called PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) on 7th September, 2022.
These schools will be equipped with modern infrastructure and showcase the implementation of the NEP and emerge as exemplary schools over a period of time, while offering leadership to other schools in the neighbourhood.
Under the scheme, there is a provision for setting up more than 14,500 PM SHRI Schools, over the period FY23 to FY27 by strengthening the existing schools from those managed by Central Government/State/UT Government/local bodies.
The education infrastructure in the form of schools, amenities, and digitalisation has been steadily promoted along with a focus on pedagogy.
Higher Education
Indian higher education system is the laboratory of change for one of the largest young populations in the world, with more than 27 per cent of India’s population in 15-29 years age bracket.
Number of medical colleges in the country have been increased from 387 in 2014 to 648 in 2022 and the number of MBBS seats have increased from 51,348 to 96,077.
Number of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), respectively stand at 23 and 20 in 2022 against 16 and 13 in 2014.
The strength of Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) is 25 in 2022 against 9 in 2014. In 2014, there were 723 Universities in the country, which have been increased to 1,113.
The total enrolment in higher education has increased to nearly 4.1 crore in FY21 from 3.9 crore in FY20.
The infrastructure for higher education has been enhanced overtime.
Since FY15, there has been an increase of around 72 lakh in enrolment (21 per cent). The female enrolment has increased to 2.0 crore in FY21 from 1.9 crore in FY20.
Health
The concerted efforts made under the Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child, Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategy, India has made considerable progress in improving the health status of both mothers and children.
As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) data, India has successfully achieved the major milestone to bring the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to below 100 per lakh live births by 2020 (laid down in National Health Policy 2017) by bringing it down to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20 from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16.
Eight states have already achieved the SDG target to reduce MMR to less than 70 per lakh live births by 2030. These include Kerala (19), Maharashtra (33), Telangana (43) Andhra Pradesh (45), Tamil Nadu (54), Jharkhand (56), Gujarat (57), and Karnataka (69).
Health Expenditure
The NHA estimates for FY19 show that there has been an increase in the share of Government Health Expenditure (GHE) 39 in the total GDP from 1.2 per cent in FY14 to 1.3 per cent in FY19.
Additionally, the share of GHE in Total Health Expenditure (THE) has also increased over time, standing at 40.6 per cent in FY19, substantially higher than 28.6 per cent in FY14.
Overall, for FY19, THE for India is estimated to be Rs. 5,96,440 crore (3.2 per cent of GDP and Rs. 4,470 per capita).
Current Health Expenditure (CHE) is Rs. 5,40,246 crore (90.6 per cent of THE) and capital expenditures is Rs. 56,194 crore (9.4 per cent of THE). Of the GHE, Union Government’s share is 34.3 per cent and the State Governments’ share is 65.7 per cent.
