RAMPANT CORRUPTION, nepotism and faulty economic policies are considered to be the main reasons behind India’s poverty and malnutrition. Last year India ranked 95th in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index for 178 countries and according to an estimate, public officials and politicians in India have been cornering more than two per cent of the GDP through corruption.  

 

Observers claimed that corruption had been growing annually by over 100 percent in the country. “Most bribery is accrued from the transport industry, real estate and other public services severely jeopardizing the cause of the poor people,” they said.

 

“It is estimated that more than trillion dollars are stashed away in foreign havens. 80% of Indians earn less than 2$ per day and every second child is malnourished,” the observed said, adding, "It seems as if only the honest people are poor in India and want to get rid of their poverty by education, emigration to cities, and immigration.”

 

The UPA Government is fast losing its image within the country and abroad with media across the world severely criticizing the Manmohan Singh Government for rampant corruption and faulty policies. “Different world bodies have also criticized the UPA Government for the country’s dismal performance in poverty alleviation and held corruption in government offices responsible for such gross failures,” they said.

 

“Even though the Prime Minister has described malnutrition a national shame, his Government cannot avoid its responsibility for the failure,” they pointed out. According to HUNGama report, which was released by Dr. Singh, 42 per cent children suffer from malnourishment. Quoting an estimate, the observers said, “A child dies every 15 seconds in India due to neonatal diseases while 20 lakh children die before reaching their fifth birthday”. “Over four lakh newborns are dying every year within 24 hours of life in the country and over 20% of the world's child deaths occur in India, the largest number anywhere in the world,” they said.

 

“The reasons are obvious because one in three of all malnourished children in the world live in India. A child, who has acute malnutrition, is likely to die at least nine times more than a child, who does not,” they observed. The situation has become worse with alarming findings that nutritional component like milk and food are contaminated across the country. According to the Food Safety Standard Authority of India, milk is contaminated with starch, detergent, salt, glucose, urea and water in almost all the states and union territories except Goa and Puducherry.

 

The shocking revelation of the high percentage of adulteration in food samples by the FSSAI puts a question mark on the safety measures taken by the Health Ministry. "These are virtually poisons. These compounds are big health hazards and can even paralyze a person,” said Dr. Tapan Das, a senior medical practitioner. The observers felt that mindless economic liberalization had led to massive corruption and deprived the majority people of their rightful share. “Unfortunately the corrupted minority is writing the rules of an unfair economy that is foreclosing on majority’s future. Unless we change the situation the country will continue to suffer with malnutrition and adulteration,” they observed.