Despite poverty gains, 206 million Indian children lack access to education, health or nutrition: UNICEF

NEW DELHI: Despite India making great strides in the reduction of poverty, about 206 million children in the country lack access to one of the six basic services like education, health, housing, nutrition, clean water and sanitation, which impacts the quality of life and opportunities, said the latest UNICEF report released Thursday. UNICEF's report State of the Worlds Children 2025: Ending Child Poverty - Our Shared Imperative said that out of the 206 million Indian children, less than a third or 62 million, lack access to two or more basic services and still need support to escape two or more deprivations. Highlighting that India is the most populous country in the world and home to the largest young population, Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative, said that one in five of the worlds children, or approximately 460 million children under 18 years of age, live here. More than half of Indias 460 million children have access to basic services, she said. She said India has made strides in reducing poverty a powerful indicator of progress toward achieving SDG 1.2 ahead of the 2030 endline while investment in child wellbeing has plateaued in most parts of the world. The target under UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1.2 is to reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions by 2030. She said poverty in India has declined significantly, with 248 million people escaping multidimensional poverty in just a decade. Praising Indias flagship programmes like the Poshan Abhiyaan, Samagra Shiksha, PM-KISAN, Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swachh Bharat, etc, she said these schemes have increased investment in children, and evidence has shown that India is reaping the dividends. Indias bold investments in its children to achieve the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision and reaching the milestone India@100 will help accelerate reaching children living in the last mile, she said. She further suggested that India needs to strengthen its tested flagship programmes that produce tangible results to reach all children across pockets of deprivation and vulnerabilities equitably. Also, the government needs to expand and sustain investments in child health, learning, and protection through innovative public-private partnerships. Institutionalise budgets relating to childrens wellbeing across states with participation of children to strengthen and strengthen evidence-based policy based on strong child-focused data, she suggested. The UNICEF report said that more than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries, about 400 million globally, are deprived of at least two areas critical for their health, development, and well-being Globally, millions of children still lack access to basic services such as education, clean water, safe sanitation, housing, health, and nutrition, which deepens inequality, slows growth, and weakens the social fabric, leaving a lifelong impact even across generations. It highlighted that the youngest children, those with disabilities and those living in crises are particularly vulnerable. Climate shocks, political crises and national debts are pushing families deeper into hardship, threatening to undo hard-earned gains in childrens wellbeing. The State of the Worlds Children 2025 report reminds us that ending child poverty is achievable with the tools and knowledge we have. There is no greater return on investment than investing in children. Improving childrens wellbeing isnt just about resources, it's about the collective will and leadership to prioritise children in every decision we make, McCaffrey said. Every child gaining access to healthcare, learning, nutrition, social safety, and protection with quality takes us a step closer to reaching them all with equality and opportunity, she added. The report called on governments and partners to make ending child poverty a national priority by embedding child rights in policies and budgets; expand inclusive social protection programs to safeguard vulnerable families; ensure equitable access to quality education, healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and housing; promote decent work and economic security for caregivers, essential for childrens wellbeing and empower children to participate in decisions affecting their futures.