As the world celebrates Mother's Day on Sunday, the state of mothers in the country is far from satisfactory as India records the highest number of maternal deaths across the globe.
The State of the World's Mothers Report, 2007, released by the US-based NGO "Save the Children" states that India tops the list of countries in maternal deaths.
"India records the highest number of 1,36,000 maternal deaths every year. The number is even higher than the maternal deaths reported in the less developed countries like Ethiopia, Congo and Nigeria," the report said.
The well-being of mothers was evaluated on various scales - educational, political, economical and health status - among 66 countries in which India was found trailing at the 61st position.
"India stands at a low 61st position in the Mothers Index Ranking-2007, with just five countries behind it, the reason being the increased lifetime risk of maternal mortality in India, which is around 48 per cent," said the report.
The children in the country too are in a poor state, with 1.9 million of the total ten million children deaths in the world in a year being reported in India.
{{/usCountry}}The children in the country too are in a poor state, with 1.9 million of the total ten million children deaths in the world in a year being reported in India.
{{/usCountry}}"Almost 60 per cent of all child deaths occur in just ten countries and the large populous countries like China and India have very high child mortality rates," the report said.
Six of these countries alone - India, Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Pakistan and China - account for nearly 50 per cent of the worldwide deaths among children younger than five.