NGOs want evidence-based health, gender interventions

AHMEDABAD: Identified as one of the industrialized and financially better-off state compared to many others, Gujarat is not as shining when it comes to social indicators, NGOs claimed. The officials met in Ahmedabad on Tuesday as part of consultation meet for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 and 5 in Gujarat. SDG 3 denotes good health and well-being, whereas 5 is related to gender equality.

Prof Indira Hirway, director of Centre for Development Alternatives, launched a report on monitoring of different social indicators, primarily compiled by NGO Sahaj, at the Ahmedabad Management Assocation. Prof Tara Nair of Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR) said, “Need for such a report is for fact and evidence-based advocacy in Gujarat. While some of the data sets are not so good, we also have to keep in mind that incidents are under-reported. She added that institutional deliveries and reduction in maternal mortality rate (MMR) data is better.

Co-director of NGO Anandi, Jeevika Shiv, said that socially-ill practices like witch-hunting (dakan) and genital mutilation are still observed in Gujarat. “We involve local communities to report such incidents,” she said.

The report highlighted finding of National Family Health Survey (NHFS)-4 that about 15% of SC and 21.7% of ST women between 15-49 years had body mass index (BMI) of less than 17, which was indicative of malnutrition.