More than honest govt, Indians want better job, education

A good education, job opportunities and better healthcare top the list of things Indians want to improve their lives, shows data from an ongoing UN global survey. Sidhartha Dutta reports. What the numbers say!

A good education, job opportunities and better healthcare top the list of things Indians want to improve their lives, shows data from an ongoing UN global survey.

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Almost 80,000 people across India have participated so far in the ‘My World’ survey that began in January.

India lags behind in the pressing issues of hunger, malnutrition, infant and maternal deaths, and sanitation. Honesty and responsiveness from the governing class also figures a low eighth in India’s list.

Globally, the top three demands are a good education, healthcare and an honest and responsive government, shows the survey of people across 194 countries.

The survey asks citizens of all countries to select six key changes, from a broader list of 16 options such as education, healthcare or job opportunities, they think will make a difference in their lives. It gives people a direct voice in the choices involved in drafting the world’s developmental agenda.

To make voting easier, Unicef on Monday launched its mobile application that uses an Interactive Voice Response (IVR)-based system available in four languages: English, Hindi, Odia and Tamil. To vote on mobile, call 07302010000 or vote online.

“Given the deep penetration of the mobile phone in this country, we are hopeful that millions of people will cast their vote,” said Minar Pimple, regional director, Asia Pacific, UN Millennium Campaign.

“This is a step towards making the process more participatory and inclusive. The survey is designed to engage common citizens in global conversation.”

He added, “After identifying the key problems affecting the people across the globe, the UN will develop a post-2015 agenda for the new Millennium Development Goals.”

The results from the survey will be sent to the UN secretary general and discussed at the general assembly session in the third week of September in New York.