The most important figure is always missing.

Madhya Pradesh has an infant mortality rate of 56 per thousand live births, which is the same rate as in Benin and Zambia, while average life expectancy in Bihar is the same as in Pakistan at 65.8 years. Infant mortality in Kerala is the lowest in India at 12 per 1000 live births, the same as in Argentina and Brazil, while average life expectancy is the highest at 74.2 years, equal to that of Kuwait and Brazil. A child in the poorest fifth of the population is 3 times more likely to die before the age of 5 years than a child in the richest fifth of the population and a person in the richest fifth will live an extra 10.8 years on average compared to a person in the poorest fifth. Grim statistics indeed. About half the children, some 60 million are underweight, 45% are stunted, 20% are wasted, 75% are anaemic and 57% are deficient in Vitamin A. The figures roll on and on. Why, when trillions of rupees are being spent on the NREGA scheme which pays the rural poor for 100 days a year, the Food Security Act provides cereals at throw away prices and the midday meals served in schools is supposed to provide added nutrition to our children. One reason maybe that politicians and civil servants love social schemes because they can be looted. The late Mr Ponty Chadha was given sole rights to provide midday meals in all schools as well as sell booze for the whole state of UP, the largest state in India, because of his contacts. Since all these schemes are not working surely it is time to modify them so that they reach the most vulnerable of our children. But any such proposal is angrily denounced by activists and NGOs. Oh dear, so many snouts at the trough. With such a plethora of figures one figure is never counted or published and that is the difference in the numbers of children in rich and poor families. Too many children means not enough money to buy food, no money for childhood vaccines and no money to buy shoes. Anemia is mostly caused by worms which enter human bodies through the feet. Too many people means that it is cheaper to employ large numbers of untrained people than to buy machines which can do the job better and more efficiently. Is it any wonder that India's productivity is the lowest among developing countries? To take advantage of so many young people we need to produce jobs but, low economic growth globally being accepted as the new normal, it is going to be impossible. If we are to improve productivity to compete with others jobs will become less, not more. The only other country with an equal population is China and its social indicators are way better than ours but then China has followed a one child policy since 1979. The solution is obvious. But then too many are becoming rich from poverty.