Current Affairs for CSE - Part I

"Current Affairs" form a vital component of the Civil Services Examination. "Current events of national and international importance" is specifically stated in the syllabus for the Prelims. It is a part and parcel of the General Studies papers in the Mains though not explicitly stated. Almost all the questions in GS-II and GS-III are based on current aspects. Hence it is very important that the candidate develops a clear idea about the current issues to perform well in the examination.

You would find a lot of sources on "Current Affairs" in both printed and electronic form. Going through all these sources would definitely lead to an "information overload". The candidate would end up in mugging up some facts that are irrelevant for the examination. Hence the biggest challenge here is in identifying the relevant facts and cleverly ignoring the rest. This is the real "smart work" required while studying the "Current Affairs".

I have tried to make "Current Affairs" look simpler in this post. Instead of putting information in the chronological order of their occurrence, I have tried to group together different facts under a common head. I hope this would give a clear idea to the candidates about the different aspects of a given topic. Also, instead of elaborating a point, I have just given the title and a brief explanation for the same. The aspirants are required to study further on each title. The purpose is to orient the aspirants about the relevant issues on a given subject.

The total content has been classified into four sections (with important sub-sections) as follows:
1. Rights issues and legal issues
2. Social issues
     - Health & Education
     - Social programmes and policies
3. Economic and financial reforms/issues 
     - Transport
     - Power
     - Urban and rural development
     - Agriculture and other primary sectors
     - Secondary  and tertiary sectors
     - Fiscal reforms
     - Banking and monetary reforms 
     - Other economic issues

4. Science & Technology and Environment

5. International affairs.

     - India and the world

     - Other issues

We will follow the above order of topics and have a detailed study of each of them. Learning in this manner would give the candidate a holistic idea about a topic which is very important for both the Prelims and the Mains. We wouldn't miss out on any important point in this method. Further it provides sufficient scope for updation and thus expansion of your knowledge. Hope this would be helpful for the aspirants. Happy learning..!!! 

Now let us get on to the first topic  i.e. Rights issues and-legal issues. Please note again that I will be giving only a brief idea about each point and you have to further work on those.

Rights issues and-legal issues

Right-based issues

1. Consumer Protection Bill amendments 
The Consumer Protection Act has been extended to e-commerce sectors also. It aims to establish the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), an executive agency which will protect and enforce the rights of consumers. 

2. Temple entry movements by women 
Stressing upon the fundamental rights of equality and religious freedom, there have been movements by women in temples like Shani Shingnapur. The Supreme Court has ordered in favour of providing entry to women in Sabarimala.

3. Status of women in India - Pam Rajput Committee
A High level Committee headed by Pam Rajput has submitted its report to the Government. The important recommendations include passage of the Women reservation bill, studying the status of Muslim women, gender sensitive enforcement machinery, amendments to IPC Section 377 on un-natural sex, marital rape etc.

4. Acid attack
Acid attack has been made a separate offence under the CrPC with a punishment of 10 year imprisonment. The majority of the victims are women. There have been restrictions on the sale and distribution of acids based on "The Poisons Possession and Sales Rules, 2013". The Supreme Court has directed the State Government/UT to pay Rs 3 lakh as compensation to victims.

5. Transgender rights or LGBT rights
Supreme Court has directed to include transgenders in the backward sections and provide them with reservation in public employment. Further it has agreed for a relook by a Constitutional bench into Section 377 of IPC regarding unnatural sex. There is a Rights of Transgender Persons Bill in the Parliament that seeks to provide reservation and setting up National and State Commissions for transgender communities

6. Virginius Xaxa committee on tribal issues 
According to it 40 per cent of all people displaced in India due to development activity have been tribes. Important recommendations include appointment of a judicial commission to investigate cases filed against tribes and their supporters, investigate the quality of Rehabilitation and Resettlement in all development projects, revisiting the PESA Act etc.

7. Centre notifies amended rules to SC/ST Act.
It envisages speedier trials, increased quantum of relief, regular review if schemes, filing charge sheet within 60 days, special sensitivity in cases against women etc.

8. Child Labour Prevention and Regulation Bill 
It aims the prevention children below 14 years in being employed in any jobs. Currently according to Article 24 of the Constitution, children below 14 years should not be employed in hazardous jobs. According to the latest discussion exception is given in case of family enterprises and entertainment industry, provided the activity is outside their schooling hours.

9. Amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act 
Persons in the age group 16-18 years tried through normal courts for heinous crimes. The Child Welfare Committees get statutory recognition. Details regarding adoption and Central Adoption Resources Authority (CARA) have been outlined.

10. Discrimination of North East - Bez Baruah Committee

      It has recommended a set of short-term and long-term measures to counter discrimination against the North Eastern community. Those include a new law against discrimination, faster investigation and trial, awareness campaigns, a North East Centre in Delhi etc.

11. Euthanasia or mercy killing
This aspect has been in news specifically because of the case of Aruna Shaunbaug, a nurse who was brutally raped and lived in a vegetative state for 38 years before her death at a Mumbai hospital. 
Euthanasia is of two types - passive and active. While in the former the patient dies when the life-support is withdrawn, in the latter case lethal drugs are injected leading to the death of the patient. In India, Euthanasia of both kinds are not permitted. There have been discussions on legalising passive Euthanasia.

12. DNA profiling bill
This envisages the creation of a database of DNA finger- prints of persons in conflict with law. The fingerprints are constructed from DNA fragments otherwise known as Short Tandem Repeats (STR) that is unique for a person. But there are apprehensions that this may lead to violation of privacy of individuals.

13. Privacy issue with AADHAAR
The Aadhaar platform got statutory recognition after the passage of the related bill in the Parliament. But there are counter-arguments that this would lead to violation of privacy that is an inferred right under Right to Life and Personal Liberty (Article 21). But the Government has contended that the said right is only conditional and not absolute.

14. Criminal defamation and sedition laws in India
Defamation and sedition laws in India are in conflict with the right to freedom of expression. Section 124A of IPC is regarding sedition while sections 499 and 500 deal with criminal defamation. The Supreme Court in a recent verdict has upheld these citing that freedom of expression is not absolute. 

Legal issues

15. National Judicial Appointments Commission

The Supreme Court has rejected the formation of the NJAC on the grounds that it affects the independence of judiciary which is a basic structure of the Constitution. It has agreed to improve upon the current system of Collegium for the appointment and transfer of Supreme Court and High Court judges.

16. National Court of Appeal

Supreme Court has requested the Government to consider the possibility of establishing National Court of Appeal. It would act as final court of justice in dealing with appeals from the decisions of the High Courts and tribunals within their region in civil, criminal, labour and revenue matters. In such a scenario, a much-relieved Supreme Court of India situated in Delhi would only hear matters of constitutional law and public law.

17. Death penalty in India

Currently it is applied in India for the “rarest of rare” offences. Organisations like the Amnesty International have been campaigning for the withdrawal of such provisions from the Indian criminal jurisprudence.

18. Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)

The Home Ministry has been blocking many international NGOs from receiving funds from abroad. There have been strict FCRA guidelines to track the fund flows from outside India. Many NGOs and international institutions like the Green Peace and the Ford Foundation had to face the measures of the Government.

19. State Emergency in Uttarakhand
This year witnessed the application of State Emergencies in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand under Article 356 of the Constitution. But Uttarakhand issue is important considering how the things unfolded. Despite the declaration of State Emergency the Supreme Court allowed for the Vote of Confidence in the House, without the nine rebel MLAs who were disqualified by the Speaker. The role of Union Government in declaring Emergency and the role of the Speaker in declaring the Appropriation Bill as passed by a voice vote and then disqualifying the rebel Congress MLAs were highly controversial.

20. Passage of AADHAAR Bill.
The Aadhaar bill was classified as a money bill by the Speaker and then passed in the Lok Sabha. It was seen as a step to by-pass the Rajya Sabha since it has minimal jurisdiction regarding a money bill. A money bill should contain provisions only under Art 110(1) of the Constitution. Though Aadhaar envisages transfer of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India, there is a provision within the bill that it may be used for other purposes too. This raised a concern whether it is a money bill. The Speakers role has been controversial here.

21. Rajya Sabha elections
The Rajya Sabha elections witnessed cross-voting by MLAs in the states of Haryana, Karnataka and Chattisgarh against the party whips. The points to be noted are the process of Rajya Sabha elections and the application of the Anti-Defection Law against the MLAs who did not obey the party diktats.

22. Criminalisation of pornography
The Government had recently blocked around 850 porn sites. Though it initially claimed for complete ban on pornography, later it clarified its stand to ban child pornography. The Section 67 of IT Act prohibits publishing and transiting of obscene material. Section 292 of the IPC considers the distribution of obscene material as a crime. The POCSO Act prohibits using children in pornographic acts. Hence child pornography is a crime. Adult pornography is a crime under the IT Act, if the content is uploaded in India. If it is uploaded from some foreign server then watching the same in privacy does not amount to an offence in India. 

Next topic : Health and Education

How to write good answers?

With each paper carrying 250 marks, the General Studies form a major chunk of the Civil Services (Main) Examination and in turn plays a crucial role in deciding the final list for the selection to the Civil Services. Here we discuss the strategy to tackle the GS (I, II & III) papers for the Civil Services (Main) Examination.
As a first step, the candidate need to be well acquainted with the syllabus of each paper as given the notification of the UPSC. Let me give a rough sketch of the different subjects within each paper, to begin with.
Paper I - History & Culture, Geography, Sociology
Paper II - Polity & Governance, International Relations.
Paper III - Economic development, Science & Technology, Environment and Disaster management, Internal Security

The strategies for the Preliminary and the Main examinations are entirely different, though the topics that you learn for these are almost the same with a few exceptions. The descriptive nature of the Main examination demands not just the right knowledge in you, but also the ability to present your ideas in a concise and effective manner. Hence it is important that you make writing a vital part of your CSE preparations. Here are some steps to make your answers more effective.

Step I : Understanding the question

This is the most crucial step while attempting a question in the Mains paper. Going wrong here implies that you screw up the entire answer. Hence due care need to be given in reading and understanding the question.
We should try to infer what the question demands. Many people connect the question to what they know and just explain those. These may be many a times irrelevant with respect to the given question. The result, you end up in losing not just your marks, but also your time.
Also you need to give attention to the directives given at the end of the question; like comment, elucidate etc. They serve a particular purpose.
Let me elaborate this further. Given below are some important directives that have come in the previous years question papers:
1. Explain
2. Describe
3. Elucidate
4. Analyse
5. Examine
6. Discuss
7. Evaluate
8. Debate
9. Critically analyse/evaluate/examine
10. Comment
- Here 1, 2 & 3 have the same meaning i.e to further elaborate the theme of the statement in the question. Here you will be writing "FOR" the statement.
- 4, 5, 6 , 7 & 8 implies that you have to see both(or all) the sides of the given statement. You will have to write "FOR" and "AGAINST" the statement.
- 9 implies that you will have to point out the negatives underlying the given statement. In other words, you have to write "AGAINST" the statement.
- 10 implies that you have to present your view or opinion regarding a given statement. It may be "FOR" or "AGAINST" or both.

Now let me list out a few questions that was asked in 2015 Mains.
1. How different would have been the achievement of Indian Independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.
Here you need to write about the Gandhian influence on Indian freedom struggle. You need to include both the positive and negative sides since the directive used is "Discuss".

2. Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India.
The theme of the statement is already negative. Critically examining the statement implies that you need to bring out the negative fall-outs of population growth (or poverty)

3. The Self-Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP), which is India's own innovation, has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programmes. Elucidate.
"Elucidate" implies that you need to make the statement more clear. Here you need to write the positive sides of SHGs in poverty alleviation and women empowerment.

4. "Male membership needs to be encouraged in order to make women's organization free from gender bias." Comment.
"Comment" implies you can take any stand with respect to the given statement. Opinion may vary from people to people, but it all depends on how you substantiate your views.

Step II : Identifying the relevant points to be included in the answer

Once you imbibe the essence of the question, the next step is identifying the relevant points that are to be included in your answer. The question paper clearly tells that it is not the number of words that matter, but the content of your answers. Hence we need to select the most important points while answering. Your answer should be a mix of facts and analysis. You should also add your view-points if the question demands so.

Step III : Structuring the answer

Once you are ready with the points, the next challenge is how to present them effectively. Generally an answer can be divided into three parts -
i) the introduction, 
ii) the body and 
iii) the conclusion.

The introduction should contain some relevant facts, statistics, constitutional underpinnings etc. that supplement the statement in the question. You should make it short and restrict it to two or three sentences.
In the body of the answer, you have to present your points and explain those in simple words. Your explanations should be crisp and short. Also you need to prioritise the different points so that the more important ones get the greater focus.
The conclusion part generally contain your view-points regarding the given statement. Here you can innovate a little and make your answers very unique.

Step IV : Limiting your words and managing time

The CSE Main question-papers for General Studies have been subject to major changes all along the last 3-4 years. As per the current trend, the total number of questions per paper is 20-25. This demands greater time-management from the candidates.
The word limit is generally set as 200 per question. This implies a candidate has to write 4000-5000 words in 3 hours which is literally impossible. But, UPSC clearly states that it is the content of the answer that matters and not its length. Hence rather than writing an answer just for the sake of filling up the blank spaces, it is better to write the relevant points and stop.
Normally a person with good speed can write 3000-3500 words in an hour. Considering there are 20 questions, this reduces to 150-175 words per question. Thus limiting the number of words would automatically save your precious time.
Yet, you need to be diligent enough throughout your exam in managing your time effectively. 20 questions in 3 hours implies you need to finish one question in 9 minutes. If you can finish 7 questions in an hour, it is well and good and gives you the buffer time for completing the task.
You have to keep practising to achieve the right writing-speed and to manage your time effectively.

It's getting tougher...

The difficulty level of the GS paper has increased over the last years, on account of its expanded syllabus and more number of questions. The breathing space for the candidate has shrunk in the present format. While earlier, due importance was given to the writing style and beautification of the answer, in the present format the primary strategy is finishing the paper in time. You just need to maintain a minimum standard for your writing. While the earlier format provided some time for pondering over a question, the current format demands a candidate to start from the word "GO". Hence the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between the quality of your answers and managing your time.   

Environment and Ecology for CSE

General relevance of the subject

Environment and Ecology is yet to get established as a core academic topic in India. It is generally taught as a subject supplementary to other core subjects like Geography. But it has become a topic that touches our daily lives. A greater proportion of issues that find reference in the different media platforms are related to environment. They include regional issues like the Chennai floods or global events like the Paris Climate Summit.

Environment and Ecology for Civil Services Examination

This subject forms a major part of the Civil Services Examination (CSE), both for the preliminary level and the Mains level. From the analysis of previous years questions papers, around 15-20 questions (out of a total of 100) have been asked in the CSE prelims. Moreover this topic is a major part of the General Studies Paper III (GS Paper III) of the Main Examination. Hence, taking into consideration, the influence of Environment & Ecology in day-to-day issues, UPSC has accorded considerable importance to it in the Civil Services Examination.

Understanding the subject

After being acquainted with the relevance of the subject, both in general and specific to the CSE, let us now understand how to learn the subject.

How to study?

The subject can be divided into two major parts –

I) The Science part and 

II) The Human part
While the Science part deals with the scientific aspects related to a given environmental or ecological phenomena, the Human part deals with their implications on man.
Let us discuss the case of global warming as an example. The Science part would deal with the causes of global warming i.e. the Green House Effect, while the Human part deal with the consequences of global warming, like the sea-level rise, submergence of land bodies, natural disasters or even the recently concluded Paris Climate Summit. With respect to the learning process, the Science part is static while the Human part is highly dynamic.

What to study?

A good reading of the syllabus would give a better idea about what all to study for the topic. Here is the syllabus for the subject.

Preliminary Examination:

·         General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate-change that does not require subject specialisation.

Main Examination:

·         Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

·         Environmental Impact Assessment

·         Disaster and Disaster management

Though the syllabus for Prelims and Mains look different, there have been overlaps in the previous years. Hence, it is better to study these topics together. The following are the most important topics for the CSE from Environment and Ecology.

·         Ecology (specifically for Prelims)

·         Biodiversity and its conservation

·         Global warming and climate change

·         Pollution and environmental degradation

Where to study from?

Environment and Ecology is an evolving topic and hence no book covers the complete topic. The important sources are

·         NCERT Books: Final units of Biology Class XII, Physical Geography Class XI

·         Study Material from IGNOU and NIOS.

·         Current journals including news-papers and magazines.

The NCERT books are ideal for beginners. They give a good idea about the Science part of the subject. The IGNOU and NIOS material are for advanced reading. Besides, the aspirants need to have good grip over the current aspects with respect to the subject. This is extremely important for the Mains Examination.

Science & Technology for CSE

What is science?

The word science can be defined in many ways.  It had its origin from the Latin word "Scientia" that simply means "to know". But since then, it has branched out into different areas encompassing the whole world around and within us. Generally, science is defined as the medium through which we analyse our various observations. As an illustration take the case of rotation of the Earth. In ancient times, it was assumed that the Sun moved around the static Earth from East to West causing day and night. It was after the Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus that people came to believe that it was the Earth's rotation (and not the Sun's movement) that caused day and night. Thus Science has come up to solve many puzzles that confronted man.

What is technology?

Technology is defined as the application of science. It is the art of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems. For example, if the laws of motion or gravitation are basic science, then space technology is its application. Similarly bio-technology is an application of biology or life-sciences. Acquisition of technical knowledge and invention of new products and processes have greatly improved man's quality of life. 

Science and Technology for the Civil Services Examination

While the Humanities subjects like History, Geography, Polity and Economics are considered as the traditional components of the Civil Services Examination (CSE), Science & Technology is rather an unconventional one. But the recent years have witnessed an increasing significance for this subject in the CSE. From analysing the question papers (Preliminary) of the last 3 years, the Science questions contribute to almost one-fifth of the total questions asked. Thus there is a gradual change visible in the pattern of the CSE.

How to study?

One good advantage for this topic is a good conversion ratio i.e. the ratio between the effort you put in and the output you get. Unlike the other topics, there is less scope of diversifying the type of questions in S&T. Hence if you are thorough with the basic concepts in Science, it is easier to score marks and the effort required is comparatively less compared to other subjects.    

The types of questions asked from S&T can be categorised into 3 kinds:

·         Questions based on basic-science: - Candidates need to have a good understanding of the basic science concepts. Questions like the science behind rainbow, ball-bearings in bicycles or the features of viruses which were asked in previous years can be included in this category.

·         Questions on science in daily-life: - This tests the observation and the scientific attitude of the candidate. Questions like the working of a washing-machine dryer or precautionary measure against sun-stroke can be included in this category.

·         Questions on recent technology: - This part requires the knowledge about the recent advancements in the fields like space, biotechnology, Information Technology etc.  Questions on the Higgs Boson or those about the GM crops can be included in this category.

What to study? – The syllabus

The single most challenging factor for the CSE is its vast syllabus. Hence we need to be careful in selecting the topics that we require and smartly weed out the rest. This can be done based on the SYLLABUS as notified by the UPSC. The syllabus for Science & Technology is as follows:

Preliminary Examination:

·         General Science

Main Examination:

·         Science in daily life

·         Advancements in sectors like IT, Computers, Space technology, Bio technology, Nano technology etc.

·         Indigenisation of technology including the contribution from Indians.

·         Intellectual property rights.

One notable feature of the Examination is the greater importance of life-sciences, both at the Preliminary and the Main level.  Life-sciences imply the science related to living beings – micro-organisms like bacteria, plants, animals including human beings.  Some important areas are epidemiology (i.e.  study on diseases), agricultural technology etc.

Where to study from? – The source

The biggest problem confronting the aspirants is the lack of proper study/reference material for S&T. Unlike the other topics, Science is taught as separate subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany) in the academic level. Hence, it is difficult to point out a single source for preparing for the CSE. Information need to be collected and collated from multiple sources which is a crucial step in the preparation.

The following sources are recommended:

·         NCERT books on Science: This is for studying the basic concepts in Science. Class IX and Class X are a must read. They touch upon almost all the topics on basic science. Presentation is simple and precise.

·         Electronic and printed publications that deal with applications of science in daily life: Websites like the “Wikipedia” or “howstuffworks” or sections like the “Science Corner” that comes up in “The Hindu” news-paper are worth reading.

·         Newspaper and journals: This is for updating the latest information on advancements in the technological sector.  This is a step by step process that requires real effort.    

Topics for Science & Technology

Rather than studying Science and Technology separately, it is better to link them together. Studying the basic science topics together with their technological areas would provide the required flow to the subject. Rather than mugging up things, it is important to generate interest in the topic so that we can sustain the learning process throughout.

Following is a rough plan for the subject.

Part	Basic Science	Technology
I	- Motion - Earth and Universe	- Space Technology
II	- Matter - Heat, Light and Sound	- Energy Technology - Information Technology - Nano-Technology
III	- Living world - Human physiology	- Life-Sciences - Bio-Technology

Watch out for more information on S&T here......

The Millenium Development Goals

What are the Millennium Development Goals?

The concept of Millennium Development Goals or MDGs originated in the Millennium Declaration of the UN General Assembly in the year 2000. It consisted of eight goals, that were framed to address the different socio-economic-environmental issues in different parts of the world. The member nations of the UN were to achieve these goals by the year 2015. The eight goals are as under

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Goal 8: Develop Global Partnership for Development

Eighteen (18) targets were set as quantitative benchmarks for attaining the goals. A revised indicator-framework drawn up by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group (IAEG) on MDGs came into effect in 2008. This framework had 8 Goals and 21 targets.  It is as follows:

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

• Target 1A: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living on less than $1.25 a day
• Target 1B: Achieve Decent Employment for Women, Men, and Young People
• Target 1C: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

• Target 2A: By 2015, all children can complete a full course of primary schooling, girls and boys

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

• Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates

• Target 4A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

• Target 5A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
• Target 5B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

• Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
• Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it
• Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

• Target 7A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; reverse loss of environmental resources
• Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss
• Target 7C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
• Target 7D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

• Target 8A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
• Target 8B: Address the Special Needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
• Target 8C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
• Target 8D: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
• Target 8E: In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries
• Target 8F: In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

Where India stands in achieving the MDGs?

India has not endorsed this revised framework of 2008, but is following the MDG 2003 Framework. It includes all the eight goals, but only 12 targets. The other Targets has been discarded either due to their irrelevance w.r.t India or due to the non-availability of supporting data. 

According to the latest official report, India's progress towards achieving MDGs is as shown below:

GOAL 1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER      TARGET 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day      On -track      TARGET 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger      Slow or almost off-track       GOAL 2: ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION     TARGET 3: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling      Moderately on-track      GOAL 3: PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN      TARGET 4 : Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015      On - track      GOAL 4: REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY    TARGET 5 : Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the Under- Five Morality Rate      Moderately on – track due to the sharp decline in recent years.      GOAL 5: IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH    TARGET 6 : Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio      Slow or off-track      GOAL 6: COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES    TARGET 7 : Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS      On-track as trend reversal in HIV prevalence has been achieved     TARGET 8: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases      Moderately on-track as trend reversal has been achieved for Annual Parasite Incidence of Malaria and for prevalence of TB      GOAL 7: ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY     TARGET 9: Integrate the principle of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.      Moderately on-track     TARGET 10: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation       On-track for the indicator of drinking water but slow for the indicator of Sanitation     TARGET 11: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers      The pattern not statistically discernible      GOAL 8: DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT     TARGET 12 : In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications      On-track