While India has a lot of work to do in the development sector with 229 million people living below the poverty line, Shoko Noda, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India, tells DH that India could lead the G20 and the Global South in building digital public infrastructure and its ambitious focus on climate & development. Excerpts:
The UNDP Human Development Index 2021-22 placed India 132nd out of 191 countries. How can India overcome its development issues?
India has come a long way in 30 years, improving by about 50% since 1991. The HDI has three simple objectives - health, education, & standard of living. India's birth life expectancy rose by 8.6 years between 1990 and 2021. The gross national income per capita has expanded by 268%, and students are in school for 3.9 more years than in 1990. This is due to policy decisions made by various governments. Looking at multidimensional poverty, 450 million individuals have escaped poverty in the last 15 years. The last HDI report says that the global development index has declined two years in a row, and we have lost five years of progress. Pandemic caused this. Since 90% of India's poor are rural, we must continue to address the disparity.
Climate change and gender inequality are two areas where India needs to accelerate. Another is workforce mitigation and adaptation. India can teach the Global South about decarbonisation and other growth models.
How can India enhance women's workforce participation?
India is the only South Asian nation where women-headed households are significantly poorer than those headed by men. Since data on female labour force participation isn't promising - 19% in 2020, according to World Bank - we must support women in that area. We need to reintroduce women to work after the pandemic. Over 12 million MSMEs are run by women, so formalising the sector and skilling them is crucial. Formal education is less significant than work market-relevant skilling. We should also encourage women to study STEM fields. We must promote female political leaders. Women-friendly policies depend on this.
Covid exacerbated existing disparities in India. Around 229 million are still poor. What policies should be pursued?
State and district-level implementation of India's social protection systems is crucial. India has a prevalence of aspirational districts. The focus now is moving from district to block. That is where we can see the pockets of poverty. Those who receive these schemes must also be well informed to understand what they must do to benefit from them. Aadhaar is a good basis, as are the income certificate, health card, and employment card. Since the general public has embraced Aadhaar, it should be given more features while protecting privacy. The system administered 2.2 billion vaccine doses, which is remarkable.
According to UN estimates, India's population has exceeded China's. China's median age is 50, but India's is 25. How should India focus on its youth?
The key is to engage the youth and ensure that their skills are market-ready. Job creation is critical; (and) we need to engage them. To understand what youth desire, they must be included in policymaking.
What role do you see India’s G20 presidency play in shaping global policies on some of the pressing issues of our time?
The presidency coincides with worldwide uncertainty owing to the Ukraine war, living conditions, and climate change. The Indian government is focussing on some of these critical issues, including a focus on the SDG action plan. Another is an ambitious focus on climate and development, while another is women-led development, apart from climate financing. I attended the Digital Working Group meeting, and India is ahead of many nations in digital technology and public digital infrastructure. India can steer the G20 and Global South agenda.