New Delhi, April 16 (Inditop.com) International aid agency Oxfam’s latest strategy for the period 2010-15 is to reduce extreme development disparities among various socio-cultural groups in India, with focus on seven states, its representatives said Friday.
The seven states the agency will be focussing upon are Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Actor and Oxfam India’s ambassador Rahul Bose who was present at the announcement of the new strategies said: “The widening divide between the two Indias – the developed and the underdeveloped – and the many miles the country has to travel to tread a truly inclusive path of development is a matter of concern”.
Nisha Agarawal, CEO of Oxfam India said: “Among all poverty indicators, it is the Dalits, tribals and Muslims who are found to be worse off than the others. While there has been a growing assertion among the Dalits led by its middle class intellectuals and politicians, a similar pattern is yet to emerge among the tribals and the Muslims”.
“Despite positive changes in the policy environment and progressive legislation, Indian women continue to face discrimination on all fronts, including inside and outside their homes. Keeping this mind, our new strategy for the period 2010-15 is to call for closing the gap between four groups of people – women and men, Dalits and non-Dalits, tribals and non-tribals and Muslims and non-Muslims,” she added.
Talking about the focus states, Agarwal said that these seven have been zeroed in on the basis of the fact that roughly two-thirds of the country’s poor is concentrated in these states.
“We will try and engage more young people in our activities. We are also building up a program of support to tackle the special issues of peace building in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast of India,” Agarwal said.
