Panel Organizer:

Dr. Yogesh C. Joshi, MBA Department, Sardar Patel University, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Fulfilling Millennium Development Goals: Institutional Responses in South Asia

 

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 - form a blueprint agreed to by all the world's countries and all the world's leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world's poorest.
The MDGs relate to human development. They aim to improve the key capabilities of human beings ensuring a long and healthy life, being educated, having a decent standard of living and enjoying political and civil freedoms to participate in the life of one's community. Further, MDGs facilitate essential conditions for human development through ensuring environmental sustainability, promoting equity- especially gender equity and enabling global economic environment.
The South Asian countries like other developing countries have been pursuing the underlying objectives of the MDGs for decades. But the Goals require a new momentum for faster progress in achieving these Goals. These countries have responded by increasing social spending and launching new programmes in support of the Goals. In some countries and sectors, this has led to a new institutional framework and a shift that can be described as: from government to governance. The governments in these countries are introducing policy changes in all the areas to achieve progress in meeting MDGs. The policy changes includes increased private sector participation in provision of education and health services and other areas. The governments are focusing efforts to spread these services to rural areas and improve their overall quality and standards in the country.

Various non government entities which includes NGOs, private trusts, societies are being promoted to take on the responsibilities of increasing awareness and educating population regarding diseases like HIV/AIDS, health of mother and child, gender equity and environment sustainability. Many programmes have been initiated with the assistance of international agencies as well. Thus looking to the magnitude of the task to be achieved the responsibility of achieving the MDGs is being jointly shouldered by a multitude of actors like citizens, NGOs, corporates, international agencies and organizations and governments. Hence, action must be driven not just by politicians and government agencies but also by communities, local authorities and civil society groups.

The responsibility of achieving MDGs is being shared by various actors in society and not just by the government. This approach thus holds various actors accountable, including governments, citizens, corporations and international organizations in an effort to achieve MDGs by the year 2015. Thus, according to the new framework the government role is being transformed from being regulator or provider to a facilitator or enabler.

The Panel thus focuses on the role that MDGs have started to play in the development priorities, discourse and practice in South Asian countries. It focuses on the response of various actors towards achieving MDGs. Thus it will attempt to discuss the transformation in the role of government from being a regulator to facilitator in the context of achieving MDGs. In the event of government becoming a facilitator, how various other actors are contributing to achievement of MDGs in the countries of the region will also be discussed. It thus focuses on the practices that are being reinforced and used by the government and other actors to work for achieving MDGs in South Asian countries.

 

Rajendra Menaria, Jaipur, India

State Level Strategy for Achieving Millennium Development Goals Case of Rajasthan (INDIA)

 

In a Federal Set,up like India, strategy  for realizing development has to be formulated and implemented at State level within the contours of National framework. Rajasthan accounts for 10.41 per cent of area, highest among all the states  and 5.50 per cent of  Indian population. A brief review of growth trajectory over the past few decades  reveals that impressive growth achievements  have been made, however indelible scars of  frequent  droughts widespread rain failures force the Government like Alice in the Wonderland to run to keep on the same place. As such, attaining the MDG becomes all the more difficult if not impossible.

 

Strategy to achieve MDG must be formulated in the backdrop of population. Rajasthan's population has been projected to  increase from the 2001 level of 56.50 millions to 76.98 millions, an increase by roughly 36 per cent. With a formidable backlog of  high incidence of poverty, low enrolement ratio in schools, high infant mortality, gender discrimination  and endangered environment  coupled with almost 90 per cent of States budgetary resources committed towards salary payments makes it an uphill task for the Government to with,hold sliding down of the economy. Under the given circumtances, a whole new approach will be required to realize the MDGs.

 

A policy mix for development requires that not only supply of services like schooling, medical and health facilities, social infrastructure and basic services will have to be substantially increased but also demand side forces will have to be generated. Effective use of available have to be ensured so as to achieve economies of use in the social sector services. Innovative measures of resources mobilization  and effective deployment of public resources will be necessary to pave the way towards achieving the MDGs. An attempt has been made in the paper to review the past growth, present bottlenecks in development and a strategy of policy mix is suggested.

 

Smt.Bala Krishnamoorthy, NMIMS, Deemed University, Mumbai, India (with Richa Kar, Neha Agarwal, Sheetal Pai)

Workplace Essential Aids Management Program (Weamp), A Guide To India Inc's Fight Against Hiv/Aids

 

The pandemic of HIV/AIDS has gone beyond being a health issue to becoming a mainstream development issue. Without exaggeration it may be stated that HIV/AIDS can have drastic ramifications for the business world. More than 20 million people have died around the world and by the end of 2004, 39 million people were living with HIV.  The epidemic has reversed decades of development progress in the worst affected countries. Almost no country has escaped its wrath. But there are countries that are fighting back - and winning. Corporations have realized that addressing HIV/AIDS is not merely a CSR issue but has also become a major workplace issue. It is the leaders of the corporate world who must adopt preventive strategies to control the epidemic from spreading further. The importance of conscious, well thought out strategic interventions is the need of the hour across the globe.

 

This paper suggests a model , Workplace Essential AIDS Management Program (WEAMP),for addressing workplace HIV/AIDS intervention. This model has been proposed after identifying best practices in HIV/AIDS workplace intervention programs undertaken by companies in India.  WEAMP can serve as a guide for all the enterprises that would want to adopt a workplace intervention program for HIV/AIDS in the near future in India.

 

Further the paper seeks to answer the following questions:

·           Why did some Indian enterprises respond to HIV/AIDS and how have they successfully implemented an intervention program?

·           What are the key components of a comprehensive workplace program on HIV/AIDS?

·           How can an intervention program be made sustainable, robust and effective?

·           What can be the best form of intervention in India against HIV/AIDS?

·           How can enterprises respond to HIV/AIDS?

 

Such a study facilitates development of a useful model for successful workplace intervention programs.  The model includes the most crucial factors that companies must incorporate in the prevention of HIV/AIDS at the workplace and hence the community at large.

 

Fulfilling Millennium Development Goals: Institutional Responses in South Asia Convenor : Dr. Yogesh C. Joshi Paper title : Sustainability Reporting Practices India - a move towards contributing to the Millennium Development Goals - model for public private partnership beyond compliance Paper Abstract (ca. 300 words) : A sustainable environment is one in which the natural environment, economic development and social life are seen as mutually dependent , and the interaction between them contributes to the sustainability and enhancement of the quality of people's lives and the natural environment. In the 1970s, traditional end,of,pipe regulations significantly reduced industrial emissions to air and effluents to water, as well as waste disposal and treatment (Ashford et al., 1985). During the 1990s, however, many countries developed new approaches (‘smart regulations' - Gunningham and Grabosky, 1998) to environmental policy that were voluntary, collaborative and information based (De Bruijn and Nordberg Bohm, 2003).

 

The trend toward such voluntary and cooperative agreements between firms and public regulatory agencies is increasing in most OECD countries (Andrews, 1994; Glasbergen, 1998). This has promoted flexible corporate responses via new forms of policy options. As can be seen from the challenge of combating greenhouse,gas emissions, national policies are less effective on their own, prompting calls for multilateral responses (IPCC, 2001; UNEP, 2002). Business is required to play a more active role, in line with the objectives of sustainable development (UNWCED, 1987).

 

In spite of concerns of governments in developing countries for social equity and ecological preservation, public policy efforts at promoting economic development often remain limited to traditional concerns such as the provision of long term capital through foreign direct investments (Hansen, 2002). For example, despite alarming ecological and social challenges, India is making few efforts at disseminating promising environmental practices to the business community at large. The result becomes ‘islands of environmental excellence in a sea of dirt' (Ruud, 2002b). This paper analysis the sustainability reporting practices of Indian companies and looks at their contribution to fulfilling the millennium goals and partnering with the government.

 

Soumendra K. Dash, Institute of Finance and International Management, Bangalore, India

Gender Discrimination and ICT

 

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a potent force in transforming social, economics and political life globally. Without incorporating of ICT as a part and parcel of life, there is little chance for countries or regions to develop. More and more concern in being shown about the impact of these left on the other side of the "haves" and "have,nots". Largely women are there on the other side of the digital divide. Most women within developing countries are in the deepest part of the digital divide, they are further removed from the information age than the men whose poverty they share. But those women who are accessing and using ICT, they have understood the significance of these technologies in ensuring the socio,economic development of the country as well as empowering the women which eliminates gender discrimination in the society. Hence it is essential now to consider gender issues early in the process of introduction of new policies related to ICT, so that gender concerns can be synthesized from the beginning. ICT can be very useful tool for the women to be independent economically and self,sufficient. This can also bring women to come out of the deep poverty. This research paper will attempt to assess the impacts of ICT in the life of women.

 

Harini Raval, Pratham Gujarat Education Initiative, Ahmedabad, India

Formative Audit of Universalisation of Primary Education through Organized Public Action

 

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2005 was a national campaign across 506 districts in 10,000 villages covering 3.3 lac children. It was a survey by 20,000 volunteers to assess the learning levels of children in reading and arithmetic competencies and to record status of school infrastructure. The tool for assessing learning levels in ASER is short test designed to assess a child in the 7-14 year age group on basic reading and arithmetic skills. The tool is simple enough to be administered by a community volunteer after two days of training.

 

ASER acts as a social audit tool in the hands of citizens to evaluate, monitor and track progress made on various entitlements and goals of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA); a government initiative to provide Universal Elementary Education (UEE) to all children, which is an MDG. This exercise will be carried out every year until 2010; the terminating year of SSA.

 

As part of ASER Gujarat, 2005, 90 participants comprising voluntary organizations, civil society bodies, colleges and institutes took part in jointly conducting the survey of children's learning levels and school infrastructure. They mobilized 1000 volunteers across 500 villages of the state to assess about 14,000 children in their reading and arithmetic competencies. Various corporate bodies participated by financing districts.

 

The data generated in ASER 2005 has applauded the efforts made by government in case of certain provisions and services like school infrastructure, teacher /children attendance, provision of mid day meal services and text books availability. It has also evaluated the existing status of children's learning levels in which Gujarat ranks low compared to national standards.

 

The sampling tool for ASER has been statistically designed to have district as a unit of analysis and hence reliability of results obtained are valid at a district level. ASER is a simple model for constructive action by various actors towards facilitating achievement of MDGs.

 

ASER Gujarat is being facilitated by Pratham Gujarat Education Initiative, an NGO which works for "Every child in School and Learning Well"

 

Prapanna Maskey, Kathmandu, Nepal

Plight of Nepalese Children

 

Children are the assets of the country. Future of the country depends upon the present generation of the children. Children are the future of the country and they have to shoulder the burden of the country. Because of this reason country is equally responsible to make them strong and productive since childhood. Nepal must make investment upon children to get better return in future.

 

Children from diverse family background face different circumstances. Children from rural area face with rural adverse circumstances. Children from poor family have to face poverty since childhood where as children from rich family face with rich environment. Rich children hardly know the bitter realities of life. Childhood is the ascribed status for only rich children. Childhood is the achieved status for poor children as they have to make their fortune themselves. Affluence and poverty are inherited from parents by children. Children from rich family easily have access to entire modern technology where as children from poor family background has to survive under primitive stage. Poor children live in subsistence level life style. In the case of rich children, they enjoy life of modern society.

 

Poor children are compelled to work for their own survival and of their family. Tiny hands have to work from dawn till to dusk in non stop manner without rest but these innocent laborers don't know why they have had to face such life.

 

Gap between rich and poor, literate and illiterate, rural and urban people are responsible factors to enhance child labor. Illiterate parents rarely recognize the value of education so they don't want to educate children. These illiterate parents send their children in the house of rich, literate and urban people. Children working in urban area are deprived from parental love and care. Children in these areas only get wages and unwanted second hand things from the side of employers. To get these things children have to sacrifice parental love, rural environment, culture, language and norms and values of their own. Ultimately in future when they are deprived of work and expelled from the house of the masters, then they are compelled to turn themselves into street children. Street children have to move from here and there for their survival. They have to face harsh reality of life such as heavy rain, heat, dust, garbage in each and every walk of life. Children have to depend upon parents until they become parents until they become adult. These cases hardly happen under all circumstances. Orphan children are compelled to grow up in street under harsh conditions. They have to struggle hard for mere survival. They even don't get basic needs such as food, cloth and shelter.

 

Nepali Government is quite helpless and mute towards providing these facilities. Power holders of Nepal are entangled in conflict sustaining political power. They hardly devote time for children and betterment of the people. Nepali Government has to help children by providing social security. Children need more attention than others.

 

Difference in social status and circumstances has led to differentiate in getting quality education. So long disparity between have and have not exist in this universe equality and parity is only the matter of dream. In the country like Nepal, where survival for existence is great challenge  pondering over quality education and acquiring better job is only the matter of gripping the opportunity. Let us all hope all the Nepalese children may have access to the light of education.

 

Fouillet Cyril, French Institute of Pondicherry (India), Pondicherry, India

Microfinance Sector Development in India, 1992,2005

 

One of the main consequences of the process of financial liberalization in India, particularly since 1991, has been a reversal of India's social and development banking' policies and a consequent fall in the share of institutional credit going to the rural poor. The main policy tool for the provision of cheap and timely credit to the poor is now microfinance, particularly microfinance channeled through women's self,help groups (SHGs). From 2000, loans to SHGs qualify as ‘priority sector' loans by commercial banks. The SHG Banking Linkage Programme is one of the most important microfinance programme across the world. Microfinance is much more than simply an income generation tool. By directly empowering poor people, particularly women, it has become one of the key driving mechanisms towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals, specifically the overreaching target of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

 

With data from policy documents and state statistical sources, we use descriptive statistics and correlation analysis to describe, map, analyse, and explain the changing spatial dimensions of India's microfinance development sector. A pattern of spatial variation in microfinance has emerged related to the recent historical legacy of rural credit development and more generally of development aid policies. Empirical analysis shows that bancarization was influential to microfinance development sector in some states. Nevertheless, the microfinance had not set up in the lower bancarized place. States with a weak bank sector in term of number of account per thousand people were not completed by a strong microfinance development sector. Findings on the spatial variation and changes of microfinance development sector enhance our understanding of the complex processes of regional development under way in India today and can contribute to the formulation of innovative regional development policies.

 

Mohammad Amirul Islam, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

Men's Awareness of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh: How Far We Are from the Millennium Development Goal?

 

The prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Bangladesh is very low. However, the country is under threat from future spread of the virus as it is surrounded by parts of India with high HIV prevalence - West Bengal to the west and Northern India to the east and is also neighboured by the epidemics of Southeast Asia. This article investigates men's awareness of AIDS using the recent Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data and evaluates the state of awareness of AIDS in the light of fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) regarding HIV/AIDS.  Awareness of AIDS is still inadequate among the men. About 55% of the men are aware of AIDS. Television, radio, newspaper and friends/relatives are their main source of information regarding AIDS. Among the men who reported to have heard of AIDS, 66% believe that this disease can be avoided. Avoid sex with prostitutes (42.9%), avoid sex with persons with many partners (22.3%), and use of condom during sex (18.6%) are the main ways to avoid AIDS as mentioned by the men who reported to have heard of AIDS.  A two-level random intercept binary logistic regression model has been fitted to identify the significant determinants of ever heard of AIDS. The result identifies significant community level effect. A multinomial logistic regression model has also been fitted with the response variable as degree of awareness of AIDS (poor degree, fair degree, good degree), where the degree of awareness of AIDS has been measured by the reported number of valid ways to avoid AIDS. This study reveals that access to AIDS information as well as the degree of awareness of AIDS in Bangladesh is still inadequate in order to fulfil the MDG and suggests undertaking well designed AIDS awareness campaign especially in the poor-performing communities.

 

Suresh Chandra Sharma, University Enclave, Delhi, India

Population Policy and Millennium Development Goals in India

 

The National Population Policy (NPP), announced by the Government of India on 15 February 200, had clearly enunciated short, medium and long run objectives of the policy. The immediate objective enshrined in the NPP,2000 document was to address the unmet needs for contraception, health care infrastructure, and health personnel, and to provide interacted services delivery for basic reproductive and child health care. The medium,term an objective was to bring the total fertility rate (TFR) to replacement levels by 2010, through vigorous implementation of inter,sectoral operational strategies. The long term objective was to achieve a stable population by 2045, at a level consistent with the requirement of sustainable economic growth, social development, and environmental protection. Obviously, the short, medium and long,term objectives are intertwined and failure on short or medium,run goals would have serious implication for the long,run objective of population stabilization.

The United Nations Millenium Summit in September 2000 reaffirmed their commitment to working towards a world in which sustainable development and eliminating poverty would have the highest priority. The Milleennium Development Goals (MDGs) and targets grew out of the agreements and resolutions of world conferences organized by the UN in the past decade. The indicators evolved to judge the achievements over the time,bound targets have been laid down in several UN documents (UNFPA, 2001). The goals had been commonly accepted as a framework for measuring development progress.

 

The targets characterized in terms of indices like poverty ratio, proportionate population suffering form hunger, school enrolment ratios of boys and girls, gender disparity in terms of boy,girl ratios, IMR. MMR, incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major disease, proportionate coverage of population with potable drinking water, reversal of biodiversity losses and other natural resources degradation, etc. are desired to be achieved within the stipulated period.

 

Vijaylaxmi Chari, Gujrat University, School of Commerce, Agnedabad, Indian

Income Generation And Poverty Alleviation : A Case Study Of Shg Bank Linkage Scheme In India.

 

Informal savings and credit associations were past of many social communities for long. It was however institutionalized in Bangladesh by the establishment of Grameen Bank by Prof. Yunus in the seventies. The success of this program in one of the least developed countries propagated its adoption in several other developing countries. In India this program was widely adopted in 1992 with active support from the government. The National Bank for Rural and Agriculture Development evolved a scheme called the SHG Bank linkage scheme) to provide refinance to the self help group. In this paper we analyse the progress of this scheme to bring out how this scheme works and empowers the weaker sections of the society, thereby being instrumental in bringing down poverty.

 

There are no estimates available about the actual income or employment generated through this scheme. Most of the focus from the institutional side has been on service delivery and effective management of micro,finance. In fact the banking sector perceives that there is a huge demand for micro,finance and finds it a convenient area through which to meet this requirement. Research on this scheme has been focusing on either a financial viability evaluation or a critical review of the implementation. In this paper we make an attempt to make an indirect assessment of the income generation potential of this scheme. Through the assessment of income generation, the approximate reduction in poverty would be worked out. This exercise would be undertaken for all the states of India for which data is available. Interstate difference would be analysed to identify what characteristics of the state correlate with the success of this scheme.

Since poverty reduction has been one of the eminent MDGs this scheme provides a different approach from the trickle down process as it works on trickle up process. The analysis attempted here would provide an estimate of the power of this scheme in achieving the poverty reduction goal. It may be mentioned here that the way this scheme works, it also indirectly targets the other goals such as empowerment of the poorer sections of the society and gender equality.

 

Alpesh Pathak, India

WTO/TRIPs and access to medicine  in developing countries,  its impact on fulfiling Millennium Development Goals

 

In the coming years, the World Trade Organization will be making important decisions about IPRs. It is very well established fact that infectious diseases are responsible for almost half of all deaths in developing and least developed  countries, and half of these diseases are caused by HIV (AIDS), tuberculosis and malaria. More than 2 billion inhabitants of the world do not have regular access to adequate treatment and cure. AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria alone kill 5 million people each year mostly in developing countries.

 

This paper evaluates the impact of WTO/TRIPs decisions on access to medicines particularly in poor countries. Particularly, this   paper focuses on the relationship between WTO discussions on IPR and sustainable development and the environment that it will be useful for meeting one of the most important millennium goals on HIV/AIDS and other life threatening diseases.

 

The WTO ministerial meeting in Doha produced a declaration that will encourage developing nations to use compulsory licensing and parallel importation to reduce the prices of patented pharmaceuticals in their markets. This paper questions the soundness of such policies. Developing nations have had little intellectual property protection for pharmaceuticals, which may have resulted at least in part from an acute collective action problem ,, developing nations reap the full benefits from lower prices when they do not create pharmaceutical patents, yet the costs in terms of diminished research incentives are largely externalized to the rest of the developing world. The magnitude of the effect may be modest for many lines of drug research, but acute for diseases of particular importance to developing nations such as malaria and drug,resistant tuberculosis. The WTO/TRIPS agreement held out some promise of overcoming part of this problem, but just as the obligations of developing !

 nations under TRIPS were beginning to take hold, the Doha ministerial declaration casts great doubt on the future credibility of patent rights for pharmaceuticals in the developing nations.

 

This also suggests the measures which could taken by  government, private firms and NGOs in reducing the adverse impact and maximizing the benefits in implementing the minimum standards set by WTO/TRIPs in developing as well as least developed countries particularly in meeting the millennium development goals.

 
Prahlad Rai Sodani, Indian Institute of Health Management Research, India

Health,care seeking and spending by underserved Indian in public and private sectors

 

This paper uses the data from a study of a representative sample of households in the underserved areas in an Indian state, Rajasthan, a north,western state in India, to investigate health,care seeking behaviour and health,care spending. A sample of 450 households from rural and urban areas is surveyed to understand morbidity pattern, health,care seeking behaviour, choice of provider for treatment, and spending on health,care. The utilization and expenditure for different types of providers are presented in terms of rural/urban status. The results of the study indicated a high dependence for health,care on traditional practitioners in the rural areas. In addition, the rural households spent one and a half times more money on health,care than the urban households. The study also estimated direct expenses for treatment, associated expenses with treatment and opportunity cost of seeking health care. The results of this study are used to discuss the feasibility of implementing alternative healthcare financing reforms.

 

The paper also discusses the factors affecting health,care spending and investigated that the following factors are responsible for health care spending: time gap between onset of disease and contact with source of care, duration of illness episode, and frequency of  visits to source of care. The study suggested public private partnerships in health sector as guiding strategy for enhancing access, reducing financial burden on households, and improving quality of care in underserved areas. The operational strategies may be piloting community based health insurance scheme through demand side financing mechanisms; partnerships in procuring and disbursing pharmaceutical and other supplies; and partnerships for enhancing community awareness on health,seeking behaviour.

 

Salla Sariola, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Targeting High Risk Groups: Discourses of HIV prevention and sex work in Chennai, India

 

In this paper I will analyse discourses surrounding sex work in India, Chennai; how sex work is constructed and defined. I will analyse representations of sex workers in order to outline the social construction of sex work within which sex workers and clients operate in. I will then outline the cultural factors that explain why sex workers are marginalised and remain out of the focus and secondary despite the interest and focus on them around HIV prevention. To this end I analysed articles in two major English newspapers and from field work notes from 2004,2005. Furthermore, I provide analysis of my interviews with the most prominent actors in this area, namely staff in NGOs implementing HIV prevention.

 

The rationale behind this paper is that the Indian government has with its main funding bodies World Bank, UNAIDS and USAID, targeted high risk groups as the main intervention/prevention model. While the problems of the prevention are also related to limited scope of the NGOs, I argue that HIV challenges cultural and moral norms of purity, and the Gandhian ideas of chastity of Hindu/Indian women. When 85% of transmissions are heterosexual, this suggests that sex is taking place elsewhere than just within marriage aiming at reproduction. Admitting to the fact that anyone could be infected with HIV undermines the projection of HIV as a disease of the ‘others' (sex workers, homosexuals, Westerners). Keeping HIV/AIDS as the disease of high risk groups does not challenge the moral superiority of the nation.

 

I argue that in the implementation of the prevention programmes, HIV is addressed as a biological, not as a social problem. In the current discourse, sex workers social concerns are silenced and the problems that underlie sex work are not addressed. Consequently, further research on sex work from the social viewpoint is needed.

 

Yogesh C. Joshi, Sardar Patel University, Anand, Gujarat, India

Emerging Institutional Responses in Gujarat for the Fulfillment of the MDGs: Lessons for Future

 

The state of Gujarat is one of the relatively more developed states in India. The economic growth in the state has accelerated since economic liberalization. The state government in its Socio - Economic survey of the year 2004,2005 has specifically focused on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is in accordance to the Tenth Five Year Plan which aims at redefining the role of government with focus on employment generating sectors and poverty alleviation. The Tenth Plan has specific focus on key indicators of human development as targeted in the MDGs.

 

Across various social sectors many institutions are emerging and there have been successful examples to be replicated in other social areas and in other regions of the state of Gujarat. These areas include Environmental Sustainability, Primary Education, Health of Women and Child, Gender Empowerment and Equality, etc. These institutional responses, both governmental and non,governmental, have been more visible in the backward areas, polluted regions and disaster struck regions of the state.

 

The present paper attempts to study emergence of such institutions in the state of Gujarat, facilitating fulfillment of MDGs or striving for attainment of these goals. The government initiatives as well as non,governmental institutional responses in the state of Gujarat will be studied and policy implications will be derived for attainment of the MDGs and consequent human development in the state and India from these experiences.