A new survey has found that India has the highest proportion (38%) of policymakers with not much/no knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in comparison with four other nations (Colombia, Kenya, Senegal and Indonesia).

The survey, published and presented on September 22 was conducted by Equal Measures 2030, an independent civil society and private sector-led partnership. The study interviewed policymakers in Colombia, Indonesia, India, Kenya and Senegal, specifically on SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and women empowerment.

The key findings of the survey that pertain to India suggest that: 

69% of Indian policymakers didn’t recall share of women in labour force, 12% didn’t know the answer or where to find the relevant information.

65% of Indian policymakers didn’t recall seats in parliament held by women in 2016 (The answer is 12%)

25% of Indian policymakers didn’t know where to find information on maternal mortality ratio (MMR); India’s MMR is worst among BRICS nations.

Indian policymakers’ estimates of percentage of women in labour force ranged from 20% to 70% (The answer is 27%

46% of Indian policymakers thought too little attention is paid to gender equality in government policy.

A further comparison between the same countries and their respective overall performance towards achieving sustainable development goals and specifically towards SDG5, according to the SDG Indexand Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung also doesn’t fare too well for India.

Compared to Colombia, Kenya, Senegal and Indonesia, India has the lowest score (33.3) in the SDG 5 Index.

While several questions have been raised about the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagship scheme —Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao—which lays focus on the SDG5 of gender equality and women empowerment, he has also made plenty of unwavering pledges to honour India’s commitment to attaining SDG milestones.

But this aforementioned survey, however, suggests that along with Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, the prime minister should perhaps come up with an equally catchy campaign, one that also aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls, but is instead aimed to boost the knowledge of our unaware policymakers.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/635055/does-india-need-neta-padhao.html