Basic Amenities

Economic Impact of Inadequate Sanitation in India

1. The Indian economy loses nearly $54 billion (around Rs 24,000 crore) annually due to lack of toilets and poor hygiene equivalent to 6.4 percent of India’s GDP in 2006.

2. The cost of treatment for diseases due to poor hygiene was estimated at $38.5 billion (over Rs 17,000 crore).

3. The Planning Commission had earlier estimated that although 49% of the country's urban population has access to sanitary excreta disposal facility, only 28% have sewerage system (partial without treatment facility in many cases) and 21% only low cost sanitary latrine facility. About 60% of the generated solid waste is collected and disposed of, of which only 50% sanitarily.

4. World Bank officials estimate there are 4.5 lakh deaths out of 57.5 crore cases of diarrhoea every year and a large segment of the country's 1.20 crore population defecates in the open.

5. Costain said the Indian economy loses $260 million (over Rs 1,000 crore) in tourism revenues due to poor sanitation as tourists are reluctant to come to India due to lack of sanitation facilities.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-loses-Rs-24000cr-annually...

Report: http://www.wsp.org/wsp/sites/wsp.org/files/publications/wsp-esi-india.pdf

82% of rural India deprived of basic needs

1. The survey of over one lakh households on basic living standards in India also says that 20% of rural households don't have access to either of these facilities, just 2% more than a similar figure for urban India, where 67.5 % enjoy all three. For India, the figure was 33%.

2. Although the report says that access to these three facilities in rural areas had tripled since 1993, it revealed an increase in the rural urban divide since then. The coverage in urban areas increased by about 20% as compared to 12% in rural areas between 1993 and 2008-09, says the report.

3. Nearly 57% of households in rural India have to travel up to five km every day to fetch drinking water as compared to just 20% in urban areas.

4. Just 30% of households in rural India have access to tap drinking water as compared to 74% in urban areas.

5. There is one areas where there is no rural-urban disparity. That is separate rooms for married couples. Around 75% of couples in both rural and urban India have a separate room.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/82-of-rural-India-depri...

Toilets in India

1. In slum areas, where more than half of Mumbai lives, an average 81 people share a single toilet. In some places it rises to an eye-watering 273. Even the lowest average is still 58, according to local municipal authority figures.

2. In March, Mumbai's municipal authorities said there were 77,526 toilets in slum areas and 64,157 more were needed. Work is in progress on only 6,050.

3. The UN estimates that 600 million people or 55 percent of Indians still defecate outside.

4. Diseases like diarrhoea, which UNICEF says kills 1,000 Indian children aged under five every day.

5. Poor sanitation and the illnesses it causes cost the Indian economy 12 billion rupees (255 million dollars) a year, according to the health ministry.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/600-million-lack-toilets-in-Ind...

Bihar Assembly Election 2010 Data

[TCN photo]

Bihar Cabinet

Partywise Result

Seats with 20% or more Muslim population

Analysis of New MLAs of Bihar 2010 Assembly Elections:

1. 141 newly elected MLAs (i.e. 59%) in Bihar Assembly Elections 2010 have pending criminal cases against them according to their self sworn affidavits. In 2005 Bihar Assembly, 117 (i.e.35%) MLAs had pending criminal cases.

2. 85 MLAs out of these 141 analyzed have declared pending serious IPC charges like murder and attempt to murder charges against them. In 2005, 68 MLAs had serious pending criminal cases.

3. 76 MLAs analyzed (32%) have not declared their PAN card details.

4. A total of 47 MLAs (i.e. 20%) analyzed are crorepatis in Bihar Assembly Elections 2010. In 2005, 8 MLAs were crorepatis.

Source: http://adrindia.org/files/Final%20Bihar%20MLAs%20reportv3_1.pdf

Bihar Election 2010

Black Money in India

Black Money in India ( Global Financial Integrity Report 2010)

1. India is losing nearly Rs.240 crore every 24 hours, on average, in illegal financial flows out of the country. India’s aggregate illicit flows are more than twice the current external debt of US $230 billion.

2. The nation lost $213 billion (roughly Rs.9.7 lakh crore) in illegal capital flight between 1948 and 2008. These illicit financial flows were generally the product of: tax evasion, corruption, bribery and kickbacks, and criminal activities.

3. Over $125 billion (Rs.5.7 lakh crore) of that was lost in just this decade between 2000-2008.In just five years from 2004-08 alone, the country lost roughly Rs.4.3 lakh crore to such outflows.

4. Had India managed to avoid this staggering loss of capital, the country could have paid off its outstanding external debt of $230.6 billion (as of end-2008) and have another half left over for poverty alleviation and economic development.

5. Total capital flight represents approximately 16.6 per cent of India's GDP as of year-end 2008.

6. The total value of (such) illicit assets held abroad represents about 72 per cent of the size of India's underground economy which has been estimated at 50 per cent of India's GDP (or about $640 billion at end-2008) by several researchers. This implies that only about 28 per cent of illicit assets of India's underground economy are held domestically.

7. From 1948 through 2008 the Indian private sector shifted away from deposits into developed country banks and moved more of its money into offshore financial centers (OFCs). The share of OFC deposits increased from 36.4 percent in 1995 to 54.2 percent in 2009.

8. Some 68 percent of India’s aggregate illicit capital loss occurred after India’s economic reforms in 1991, indicating that deregulation and trade liberalization actually contributed to/accelerated the transfer of illicit money abroad.High net-worth individuals and private companies were found to be the primary drivers of illicit flows out of India's private sector.

Report: http://india.gfip.org/

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article892140.ece

Charity in India

“World Giving Index”

1. The “World Giving Index”, the largest study ever carried out into charitable behaviour across the globe has found that happier people are more likely to give money to charity than those who are wealthy

2. The “World Giving Index” used a Gallup survey on the charitable behaviour of people in 153 countries representing 95% of the world’s population.

3. The survey asked people whether they had given money to charity in the last month and to rank how happy they are with life on a scale of one to ten. The study also measured two other types of charitable behaviour alongside giving money – volunteering time and helping a stranger.

4. Australia and New Zealand topped the “World Giving Index”. Malta was found to be the country with the largest percentage of the population (83%) giving money, the people of Turkmenistan are the most generous with their time with 61% having given time to charity and Liberia was top of the list for helping a stranger (76%).

5. Canada,Ireland, Switzerland, USA, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Austria
are on the top of the list.

6. India has ranked 134th with only 14% of Indian giving money, 12% giving time and only 30% helping the stranger.

7. In South Asia, Sri Lanka is placed 8th, Nepal 100th, Pakistan 142nd and Bangladesh 146th in this list. War torn Afghanistan is ranked 39th just above Finland and Sweden in the list. Myanmar has ranked 22nd in the list.

Full report: http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/0882A_WorldGivingReport_Interactive_070910.pdf

Children

State of the World's Children 2011 (Unicef Report)

1. The future of adolescent girls in India seems dismal with a vicious cycle of underweight adolescence, child marriage and maternal mortality. More than half of them ( 56 per cent) are anaemic and 43 per cent are married off before the age of 18.

2. The appalling nutritional figures for adolescents puts India in the company of least developed nations such as Congo, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

3.India, in fact, beats even sub- Saharan Africa with the highest underweight adolescent girl population of 47 per cent in age group of 15 to 19 years. The country has the world's largest adolescent girl population ( 20 per cent).

4. According to the report, 43 per cent of girls were married off before the age of 18 and more than half of them gave birth before they turned adults.

5. India also displays very glaring gender disparities. While 30 per cent of boys between the ages of 15 and 19 years are anaemic, 56 per cent girls in the same age group suffer from the condition.

6. The adolescent birth rate also stands at 45 - the number of births per thousand women between the ages of 15 and 19 years.

7. About 57 per cent of the poorest children in the country are underweight compared to 20 per cent of the richest.

8. The risk of HIV infection is considerably higher in young females than young males. While 35 per cent of boys had knowledge of HIV and AIDS, only 28 per cent girls are adequately informed.

India's appalling figures

56 per cent girls are anaemic, on par with Congo, Burkina Faso & Guinea

47 per cent girls in the age group of 15 - 19 year are underweight - the highest underweight adolescent girl population

43 per cent of girls were married off before the age of 18. Only Bangladesh, Niger and Chad have higher figures

22 per cent gave birth before they turned 18

6,000 adolescent mothers die every year.

School attendance dropped from 86 per cent at primary level to 64 per cent for secondary schooling

For girls, school attendance dropped sharply as they move from primary to secondary school - from 83 per cent to 59 per cent

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/130959/latest-headlines/un-repor...

Report: http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/SOWC_2011_Main_Report_EN_022420...

http://www.unicef.org/sowc2011/pdfs/Table-1-Basic-Indicators_02092011.pdf

Girls Marriage (NCW Report)

1. Around 70 per cent of girls are below 18 at the time of their marriage in Hindi-speaking states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

2. 73 per cent girls under 18 marry in Madhya Pradesh followed by Rajasthan 68 per cent, Bihar 67 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 64 per cent.

3. In Andhra Pradesh too 71 per cent girls tied the knot while still below 18.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/70-girls-in-Hindi-belt-marry-be...

Violence in Schools (Plan International 2010 report)

1. Corporal punishment is widespread in Indian schools, despite being illegal. More than 65% children, its report claimed, said they were beaten. A majority of such victims are in state schools.

2. The study also discovered that caste and gender discrimination was the major cause of violence against children. It said many students abandoned their studies because of such humiliation, which included hitting with hands or sticks, making them stand in various positions for long periods and tying them to chairs. More boys (54%) than girls (45%) were subjected to corporal punishment.

3. Interestingly, many among the students interviewed believed corporal punishment was sometimes necessary. Students in Assam, Mizoram and UP reported highest rates of corporal punishment, while Rajasthan and Goa the lowest.

4. In India, 69% of children said they had been physically abused in different settings, including schools, but most said they had not reported it to anyone

5. In total, 12,500 school kids in 13 states between five and 18, as well as otherwise, took part in the research.

6. India is dubiously ranked third among 13 countries in terms of estimated economic cost of corporal punishment. Plan calculated that anything between $1.4 billion and $7.4 billion was lost every year in India by way of social benefits because of physical ill-treatment in schools.

Report: http://plan-international.org/files/global/publications/campaigns/Plan%2...

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/More-than-50-Indian-kids-face-s...

Child Labour( ILO ‘Accelerating action against child labour’ 2010 report)

1. India has 445 million children, Bangladesh 64 million, and Pakistan 70 million, as compared to, for example, China’s 348 million.

2. In sheer numbers, India and Pakistan have by far the largest out-of-school child population in the world.

3. India still devotes about the same proportion of national income to education (about 3.5%) that it did in the mid-1980s.

4 Four states account for 40% of the country’s child workers.

Report: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/...

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Most-child-labourers-found-in-A...

Child Health ( UNICEF report 2009)

1. India has a whopping 61 million stunted children, the largest in any country,distantly followed by China that has 12 million children.

2. 3 out of 10 stunted children in the World are from India

3. Stunted growth is a consequence of long-term poor nutrition in early childhood. Stunting is associated with developmental problems and is often impossible to correct. A child who is stunted is likely to experience a lifetime of poor health and underachievement, a growing concern in India that is demographically a young nation.

4. Astoundingly more than 90% of the developing world's stunted children live in Africa and Asia.

Source: http://www.unicef.org/sowc09/report/report.php

Child Health (Save the Children-2009 Report)

1) A child dies every 15 seconds in India due to neonatal diseases while 20 lakh children die before reaching their fifth birthday.

2) Over four lakh newborns are dying every year within 24 hours of life in the country.

3) Over 20% of the world’s child deaths occur in India — the largest number anywhere in the world.

4) One in three of all malnourished children in the world live in India.

5) Around 46% of children under three are underweight in India.

6) Around 28% of child deaths are linked just to poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water

7) India's child mortality statistics are particularly poor, with 72 deaths per 1,000 live births, higher than neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/In-India-a-child-dies-ever...

Hunger in India (United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)-2009 Report):

1. India ranks 94th in the Global Hunger Index of 119 countries.

2. India is failing its rural poor with 230 million people being undernourished — the highest for any country in the world.

3. Malnutrition accounts for nearly 50% of child deaths in India as every third adult (aged 15-49 years) is reported to be thin (BMI less than 18.5).

4. More than 27% of the world's undernourished population lives in India while 43% of children (under 5 years) in the country are underweight.

5. More than 70% of children (under-5) suffer from anaemia and 80% of them don't get vitamin supplements.

6. According to the report, the proportion of anaemic children has actually increased by 6% in the past six years with 11 out of 19 states having more than 80% of its children suffering from anaemia.

7. The proportion of stunted children (under-5) at 48% is again among the highest in the world. Every second child in the country is stunted, according to the health ministry's figures.

8. Around 30% of babies in India are born underweight.

9. Almost 80% of rural households do not have access to toilets within their premises. The figure exceeds 90% in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and MP.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-tops-world-hunger-chart/a...

Corruption

Corruption in India (TI’s Global Corruption Barometer survey-2010)

1. About 54% Indians paid a bribe in the past year. Extent of corruption in India is at levels comparable with Cambodia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Senegal, Uganda and Liberia.

2. India is the ninth most corrupt country in the world, in a ranking of 86 countries, with 54% of people reporting having paid a bribe. War-torn Iraq (56%) and Afghanistan (61%) suffer worse levels than India, as do nations such as Liberia (89%), Uganda (86%), Nigeria (63%), Sierra Leone (71%), Senegal (56%) and Cambodia (84%).

3. The world average is 25%, while the Asia Pacific average is 11%. The European Union enjoys an average of 5%, as does North America (Canada is marginally less corrupt than the United States), while Latin America and North Africa reported an average of 36%. Sub Saharan Africa has an average of 56%, compared with India’s 54%.

4. ndians perceived political parties to be the most corrupt, ranking them 4.2 on a scale of one to five. Political parties are followed by Police (4.1), Parliament/legislature (4) and civil servants (3.5). Private sector, NGOs and judiciary are all seen to be similarly corrupt (3.1), with the media enjoying a marginally better rating at 3. Military (2.8) and religious bodies (2.9) enjoy better public confidence.

5. Seventy-four percent Indians believed that levels of corruption has increased during the last three years, compared with a world average of 56% and Asia-Pacific average of 47%.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/7073774.cms

Report: http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/gcb/2010

Corruption in India (TI 2010 report)

1. India this year is ranked at 87 among 178 countries, down three spots from 84 in 2009.

2. Marginal decline in India's integrity score to 3.3 in 2010 from 3.5 in 2007 and 3.4 in 2008 and 2009 on a scale from zero (perceived to be the highly corrupt) to 10 (low levels of corruption).

3. Somalia is considered the world’s most corrupt country with a score of 1.1 followed by Myanmar and Afghanistan, while Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are perceived to be the least corrupt with scores of 9.3.

4. China is at the 78th position, indicating it is less corrupt than India. While Pakistan is shown as just a notch worse off than India, the US ranks fairly high at 22nd and is perceived to have relatively low levels of corruption. In Asia, Bhutan is perceived to be the least corrupt country.

5. India’s ranking has consistently dipped since 2006 when it was ranked 70 among 163 countries.

Report: http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/res...

Corruption in India (TI 2009 report)

1) Global Corruption Perception Index: India has been ranked 84th in the list of 180 countries in terms of public-sector corruption, which is perceived to be highly corrupt.

2)India's integrity score this year is 3.4, same as for the year 2008.With the exception of Bhutan, which has a score of 5.0, India with 3.4 is still at the top of all the South Asian countries. Nearly half out of 180 countries have scored three or even lower points; a clear indication that corruption is perceived to be rampant. Haiti, Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia have recorded the lowest score of less than 1.5.

Source: http://www.transparencyindia.org/CPI_2009_Press_Release_India.pdf

Most corrupt in India (TI-2009 report):
1.Political Parties
2.Public officials/Civil Servants
3.Parliament/ Legislature
4.Business/Private Sector
5.Judiciary
6.Media

Source: http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases/2009/20...

1. Bribe paid by BPL families in Jharkhand in 2008 was around Rs 16 crore.

2. The finding shows that corruption was highest in basic services which are free for BPL families like health, school education and water supply.

3. Corruption is also rampant in police department and schemes under NREGA, land record and banking.

Sourse: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Jharkhand-BPL-families-pa...

Economy

Best countries for business: Forbes' annual list ranks 127 nations on the basis of business climate in a country for entrepreneurs, investors and workers.

2009: 75 / 127
Trade freedom: 125
Technology: 64
Corruption: 75
Monetary freedom: 107
Red tape: 90
Personal freedom: 54
Investor protection: 30
Innovation: 30
Intellectual property rights: 44
GDP growth: 14

2008: 64

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/'India+ran.../436596/

Education

Education:

Illiteracy: India has 35% of the world’s total illiterates. [2008]

Out of school children: 320 lakh in 2001-02 | 76 lakh in 2007-08.

World Bank Report(2009):

1. 48 of every 100 students in India pursuing secondary education never go beyond that level.

2. India's gross enrolment rates (GER) in secondary school is 40 percent compared to 70 percent in East Asia and 82 percent in Latin America. Countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh which have lower per capita incomes than India have higher gross enrollment rates (GER) in secondary schools.

3. 40 million children were enrolled in secondary school in 2008. The majority of them were boys, children from the urban areas, and those who belonged to the wealthier segments of the population.

4. Enrollment varies greatly between states, from 92% in Kerala, 44% in Tamil Nadu, 22% in Bihar, and 4% in Jharkhand. 37% of secondary students fail, and 11% dropout before exam.

5. 75% of public funding for secondary schools comes from states. Less than 10% of this is for investment. While recurrent financing, mainly for teacher salaries, has been stable, the financing of new investments has declined.

6. 60% of the secondary school system is privately managed - through unaided and aided private schools. Private unaided schools provide 30% of total secondary enrollment nationwide (2004-05), up from 15% in 1993-94.

7. On average, government school teachers earn 3 times more than their counterparts in private schools.

(http://www.worldbank.org.in/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/INDIA...)

Primary-school Teacher Absence(World Bank Report 2002-03)

Country Absence Rate (%)
Bangladesh 16
Ecuador 14
India 25
Indonesia 19
Peru 11
Papua New Guinea 15
Uganda 27
Zambia 17

Source: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEC/Resources/37912_Ecuador.Teacher.A...

Missing Teachers(World Bank-Harvard University study-06)

1. 25 per cent of teachers were absent from school and only about half were teaching.

2. Rates of absenteeism varied from under 15 per cent in Maharashtra to 42 per cent in Jharkhand. The rates were found to be higher in the "poorer States."

3. Maharashtra had the lowest rate — 14.6 per cent. In Kerala it was 21.2 per cent, in Tamil Nadu 21.3 per cent, in Karnataka 21.7 per cent and in West Bengal 24.7 per cent. On the higher side. The rate was 34.4 per cent in Punjab, 37.8 per cent in Bihar, and 41.9 per cent in Jharkhand.

4. Categories of absence of teachers, the study found that it was 30.2 per cent in the case of head teachers, 22.2 per cent in the case of deputy heads, 23.1 per cent in respect of permanent or regular teachers, and 24 per cent in the case of contract/informal candidates.

5.Teacher absence was considerably lower in schools with better infrastructure, a potentially important pointer to the importance of working conditions.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/05/stories/2006040506971100.htm

Teacher and Pupil Ratio

1. The all-India teacher and pupil ratio for primary schools in 2005-06 stood at 1:46. But states like Bihar had a teacher to pupil ratio of 1:104, Jharkhand 1:79 and West Bengal 1:50.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/newdelhi/Who-will-teach-the-teache...

Energy

State-wise Release of Funds for Solar Energy Programmes

(Rs. in Lakhs)

States & UTs/Financial Year	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Andhra Pradesh	49.8	44.2	42.00
Arunachal Pradesh	34.81	280.6	199.14
Assam	50	0	147.41
Bihar	9.12	22.95	25.94
Chandigarh	0.08	0	3.83
Chattisgarh	14.16	47.7	25.94
Delhi	17.5	8.5	16.40
Goa	0	13.25	1.68
Gujarat	36.97	280.59	95.15
Himachal Pradesh	1.77	505.62	123.52
Haryana	165.78	355.32	401.15
Jammu & Kashmir	3.2	210.33	248.17
Jharkhand	5.91	0	0
Karnataka	326.35	312.23	29.42
Kerala	74.54	0	5.72
Madhya Pradesh	3	129.01	2.02
Maharashtra	107.97	270.88	1045.49
Manipur	24.98	15.95	10.82
Meghalaya	154.76	424.78	493.21
Mizoram	110.71	100.9	97.35
Nagaland	6.98	94.9	0
Orissa	2.26	76.48	0.32
Pondicherry	5.09	2	4.80
Punjab	11.8	62.9	184.98
Rajasthan	246.16	396.82	411.87
Sikkim	0	110.14	111.44
Tamil Nadu	107.23	253.27	11.08
Tripura	1.71	0	109.98
Uttar Pradesh	174.99	171.85	85.29
Uttrakhand	273.23	1246.33	573.03
West Bengal	325.81	341.78	397.50
IREDA / Banks/Others	3465.76	1706.03	2708.30
Total	5812.43	7485.31	7701.30

State-wise
Manufacturers of Solar Photovoltaic Cells
/Modules, Solar Water Heaters and Solar Cookers

S. No.	State	Solar Cells	SPV Modules	FPC based Solar water heaters	ETC based Solar water heaters	Box type solar cookers	Concentrating solar cookers
1.	Andhra Pradesh	1	6	5	3		1
2.	Gujarat			4	2	5	3
3.	Haryana				1
4.	Himachal Pradesh			1
5.	Karnataka	3	6	27	8		4
6.	Kerala		1		3		1
7.	Madhya Pradesh					1	1
8.	Maharashtra		1	15	13		4
9.	Punjab		1	2		1
10.	Rajasthan		1				1
11.	Tamil Nadu	2	2	3	3		1
12.	Uttar Pradesh	2	2			2	1
13.	Uttrakhand			1
14.	West Bengal	1	1		2	1
15.	Delhi			1	8	1	4
	Total	9	21	59	43	11	21

This information
was given by the Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, Shri Vilas Muttemwar
in a written reply to a question by Shri N.R. Govindarajar in the Rajya Sabha
today.

English in India

English in India:

1. Only 43.8% of class I kids could read the alphabets, even in big capital letters.
2. Gujarat is the worst with barely 25.3% class 1 children able to read capital letters. Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Jharkhand are only marginally better at 33.4%, 34.5%, 36% and 41.8%.
3. Karnataka, despite its hi-tech glitter, scores just as bad only 37% of class I kids could pass the simple English test.
4. In Kerala, the knowledge of English appeared the best with 85% of kids reading capital letters, West Bengal was way below at 57%.
5. In class V the all-India average of students who can read sentences is 25.7%, by class VIII it goes up to 60.2%.
6. Kerala, In class V only 54.5% children can read English sentences. In Gujarat it is abysmally low at 8%. In Tamil Nadu, only 19% children of class V can read sentences while in Uttar Pradesh it is 14%. Bihar remains more or less consistent at 31.3%.

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Just-44-Class-1-kids-know-Engli...

Foreign trade

EXPORTS UP BY 26.59% DURING MARCH 2008

FOREIGN TRADE DATA – APRIL-MARCH 2008

India’s exports during March, 2008 were valued at US $ 16282.79 million which was 26.59 per cent higher than the level of US $ 12862.40 million during March, 2007. In rupee terms, exports touched Rs.65710.71 crore, which was 16.04 per cent higher than the value of exports during March, 2007. Cumulative value of exports for the period April-March, 2008 was US$ 155512.49 million (Rs.625471.22 crore) as against US $ 126413.99 million (Rs.571779 crore) registering a growth of 23.02 per cent in Dollar terms and 9.39 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period last year.

India’s imports during March, 2008 were valued at US $ 23174.94 million representing an increase of 35.24 per cent over the level of imports valued at US $ 17136.46 million in March, 2007. In Rupee terms, imports increased by 23.96 per cent. Cumulative value of imports for the period April- March, 2008 was US $ 235910.73 million (Rs.949133.82 crore) as against US $ 185735.17 million (Rs.840506 crore) registering a growth of 27.01 per cent in Dollar terms and 12.92 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period last year.

Oil imports during March, 2008 were valued at US $ 8633.14 million which was 76.6 per cent higher than oil imports valued at US $ 4888.47 million in the corresponding period last year. Oil imports during April- March, 2008 were valued at US $ 77033.57 million which was 35.28 per cent higher than the oil imports of US $ 56945.25 million in the corresponding period last year.

Non-oil imports during March, 2008 were estimated at US $ 14541.79 million which was 18.73 per cent higher than non-oil imports of US $ 12247.99 million in March, 2007. Non-oil imports during April-March, 2008 were valued at US $ 158877.15 million which was 23.36 per cent higher than the level of such imports valued at US$ 128789.74 million in April- March, 2007.

The trade deficit for April- March, 2008 was estimated at US $ 80398.24 million which was higher than the deficit at US $ 59321.18 million during April- March, 2007.

Foreigners in India

Foreigners in India<?b>

1. The Home Ministry reports that 352,000 foreigners were registered in India as of December 31, 2007, just 0.03 percent of the population.

2. Students (8.2 percent) accounted for the highest percentage of foreigners in 2006, followed by employees (5.2 percent).

3. The 2001 census revealed that more than 6 million residents were born outside the country (including Indian citizens born abroad), but almost all (5.7 million) were from the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal; Sri Lanka and Burma accounted for another 243,000.

4. Only 227,000 individuals were born outside of the region: 28 percent of them in Africa, 25 percent in the Middle East, and only 20 percent in Northern America, Europe, and Oceania combined.

Source: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=745#16

Freedom

Religious Freedom : International Religious Freedom Report 2008
(http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108500.htm)

Press Freedom Index: 120 out of 169 countries. [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=24025]

Global Indian Diaspora

Indian Diaspora:

The term "Indian diaspora" refers to all persons of Indian descent living outside India, as long as they preserve some major Indian ethnocultural characteristics. Only nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh are excluded from this term since those countries were part of the larger British India before 1947 and thus constitute a special case.

A common distinction with regard to ethnic Indians outside India, often referred to as overseas Indians, is made between non-resident Indians (NRIs), who hold Indian citizenship, and persons of Indian origin (PIOs), who do not.

Places with More than 100,000 Members

Asia

Myanmar: 2,902,000
Malaysia: 1,665,000
Sri Lanka: 855,025
Nepal: 583,599
Singapore: 307,000

Africa

South Africa: 1,000,000
Mauritius: 715,756
Reunion: 220,055
Kenya: 102,500

Oceania

Fiji: 336,829
Australia: 190,000

Caribbean

Trinidad & Tobago: 500,600
Guyana: 395,350
Suriname: 150,456

Northern America

USA: 1,678,765
Canada: 851,000

Europe

UK: 1,200,000
Netherlands: 217,000

Gulf

Saudia Arabia: 1,500,000
UAE: 950,000
Oman: 312,000
Kuwait: 295,000
Qatar: 131,000
Bahrain: 130,000
Yemen: 100,900

Source: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=745

Remittances to India in Billions of US Dollars

Source Regions of Remittance Flows to India

Indian Immigrants in the United States

1. According to the US Census Bureau, there were over one million immigrants from India in the United States in 2000.

2. The foreign born from India (1 million) made up the third-largest immigrant group in 2000, following the foreign born from Mexico (9.2 million) and the Philippines (1.4 million). The fourth and fifth-largest immigrant groups in 2000 were from China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan) (988,857) and Vietnam (988,174).

3. Of the 31.1 million foreign born in the US, 3.3 percent were immigrants from India, according to the results of Census 2000.

4. According to Census 2000, California had the largest number of foreign born from India (198,201), followed by New Jersey (119,491), and New York (117,238). The remaining 10 states with the largest number of immigrants from India include Illinois (83,916), Texas (78,388), Pennsylvania (37,541), Michigan (36,323), Florida (32,295), Maryland (32,276), and Virginia (30,611).

5. Of the total foreign born from India in 2000, California had the largest proportion (19 percent), followed by New Jersey (12 percent), New York (11 percent), Illinois (8 percent), and Texas (8 percent). Combined, these five states accounted for 58 percent of the total Indian immigrant population.

6. The foreign-born population from India increased from 450,406 in 1990 to 1,022,552 in 2000, or by 572,146 persons, according to the results of Census 2000, representing an increase of 127 percent.

7. According to the results of Census 2000, the states that experienced the most rapid growth in their foreign-born populations from India include Idaho (517 percent), Oregon (419 percent), and Colorado (400 percent), followed by Georgia (271 percent), Washington (268 percent), Minnesota (260 percent), Wyoming (241 percent), Kentucky (221 percent), North Dakota (206 percent), and Nevada (193 percent).

8. Census 2000 shows that the foreign-born population from India in Georgia increased from 7,511 in 1990 to 27,834 in 2000, representing a 271 percent increase. Among all states and the District of Columbia, Georgia ranked seventh in the numeric growth and fourth in the percent growth of its Indian immigrant population.

9. According to the results of Census 2000, immigrants from India account for 0.4 percent of the total population of 281.4 million. In only one state – New Jersey (1.4 percent) – did the foreign born from India make up more than one percent of the total state population.

Source: http://www.migrationinformation.org/USFocus/display.cfm?ID=185

http://www.migrationinformation.org/pdf/MPI-Spotlight-on-Indian-Immigran...

Health

Best place to be a mother( Save the Children: 2010)

1. India is in the unenviable position of 73rd out of 77 middle-income countries.

2.India still ranks first out of 12 countries that account for two-thirds of under-five and maternal deaths in the world.

3. In India, the shortfall of ASHA workers is estimated at a huge 74,000 (government norm is one Asha for 1,000 population) and ANMs at 21,066 (one ANM for 5,000 population in plain areas and 3,000 for rural areas).

Report: http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-...

http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/state-of-the-worlds-mothers-...

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/India-among-worst-places-t...

Child Health (Save the Children-2009 Report)

1) A child dies every 15 seconds in India due to neonatal diseases while 20 lakh children die before reaching their fifth birthday.

2) Over four lakh newborns are dying every year within 24 hours of life in the country.

3) Over 20% of the world’s child deaths occur in India — the largest number anywhere in the world.

4) One in three of all malnourished children in the world live in India.

5) Around 46% of children under three are underweight in India.

6) Around 28% of child deaths are linked just to poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water

7) India's child mortality statistics are particularly poor, with 72 deaths per 1,000 live births, higher than neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/In-India-a-child-dies-ever...

Blind in India(2009)

1. Nearly two million people are blind in India.
2. Around 66 percent of them are women.
3. As many as two million people in India are corneally blind. Every year, 30,000 more are added to this figure. Half of the people suffering from this can get their sight restored through corneal graft surgery. However, against the annual demand for 100,000 corneas, only 16,000 are available.

Source: http://www.twocircles.net/2009oct08/two_out_every_three_blind_india_are_...

Mental Health in India

1. There are over two crore Indians who suffer from serious mental illnesses; more than five crore from milder forms.
2. About 50-90 per cent of them do not have access to medical help.
3. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in a report on mental health released in September 2008, said that the morbidity rate on account mental illness will be greater than that from cardiovascular diseases by 2010.

Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=%E2%80%98Two+crore+I...

Sanitary Practices(World Health organisation and UNICEF 'Diarrhoea: Why Children Are Still Dying and What Can Be Done'):

1. Out of a total of 2.5 billion people worldwide that
defecate openly, 665 million belong to India.

2. Some 88 per cent of diarrhoeal deaths worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-has-largest-number-of-peo...

Diabetes (2009 Report)

1. India continues to be the “diabetes capital” of the world and by the year 2010 about 50.8 million people in the 20 to 79 age group in the country will have diabetes.

2. International Diabetes Federation (IDF), projects that by 2030 about 87 million people will have diabetes.

3. The number of Indians with ‘pre-diabetic’ condition of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is also very high — about 39.5 million people will have IGT in 2010 and the number will be 64.1 million in 2030.

Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/health/medicine-and-research/article36011.ece

Hunger

55% of India's population poor( (Multi-dimensional Poverty Index- Developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) for the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP))

1. About 645 million people or 55% of India's population is poor as measured by this composite indicator made up of ten markers of education, health and standard of living achievement levels.

2. The new data also shows that even in states generally perceived as prosperous such as Haryana, Gujarat and Karnataka, more than 40% of the population is poor by the new composite measure, while Kerala is the only state in which the poor constitute less than 20%.

3. A person is defined as poor if he or she is deprived on at least 3 of the 10 indicators. By this definition, 55% of India was poor, close to double India's much-criticised official poverty figure of 29%. Almost 20% of Indians are deprived on 6 of the 10 indicators.

4. Half of all children in India are under-nourished according to the National Family Health Survey III (2005-06). Close to 40% of those who are defined as poor are also nutritionally deprived.

5. A comparison of the state of Madhya Pradesh and the sub-Saharan nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which have close to the same population and a similar MPI (0.389 and 0.393 respectively), shows that nutritional deprivation, arguably the most fundamental part of poverty, in MP far exceeds that in the DRC.Nutritional deprivation contributes to almost 20% of MP's MPI and only 5% of the DRC's MPI.

6. Multi-dimensional poverty is highest (81.4% poor) among Scheduled Tribes within India's Hindu population, followed by Scheduled Castes (65.8%), Other Backward Class (58.3%) and finally the general population (33.3%).

7. Based on the MPI, Bihar has by far the most poor of any state in the country, with 81.4% of its population defined as poor, which is close to 12% more than the next worst state of Uttar Pradesh.

8. As per the Planning Commission's figures, 41.4% of Bihar and 32.8% of UP is poor. In a possible indication of inadequate access to health and education facilities which do not show up in income poverty, almost 60% of north-east India and close to 50% of Jammu & Kashmir are poor as per the MPI, while the Planning Commission figures are around 16% and 5% respectively.

Report: http://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Country-Brief-India.pdf

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/55-of-Indias-population-poor-Re...

Global Hunger Index 2010, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

1. India has been ranked 67, way below neighbouring countries like China and Pakistan. China is rated much ahead of India at the ninth place, while Pakistan is at the 52nd place.

2. Among other neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka was at the 39th position and Nepal ranked 56 by index. Bangladesh listed at the 68th position.

3. India is home to 42% of the world's underweight children, while Pakistan has just 5%, it added.

4. The index rated 84 countries on the basis of three leading indicators -- prevalence of child malnutrition, rate of child mortality, and the proportion of people who are calorie deficient.

Source: http://www.ifpri.org/publication/2010-global-hunger-index

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-ranks-below-China-Pak-in-...

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/TrackingHunger-statistics/track...

United Nations Millennium Development Goals report, 2010.

1. In 2005-2007, the proportion of undernourished people in South Asia had swelled to levels last seen in 1990.
2. The prevalence of hunger had increased from 20% in 2000-2002 to 21% in 2005-2007.
3. The regional average was 21% in 1990-92, indicating that no progress had been made in the last two decades in reducing hunger levels and that India — the dominant country in the region — will not be able to meet its millennium development goals.
4. According to UN figures, the employment to population ratio in South Asia fell to 56% in 2008 from 57% in 1998. The 2009 estimates put it even lower at 55%.
5. The proportion of employed people living under $1.25 a day jumped sharply from 44% in 2008 to 51% in 2009.

Report: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202010%20En%20r15%20-...

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hunger-back-to-1990-levels-in-S...

Source: Hindustan Times