NEW DELHI: Former Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi today took over as the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) on Monday.

Mr Mehrishi took the oath of office during a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Mehrishi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the dignitaries present on the occasion. 

Rajiv Mehrishi will have a tenure till August 7, 2020.

Mr. Mehrishi belongs to 1978 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Rajasthan cadre. He completed his two- year fixed term as the Union Home Secretary last month. He will have a tenure of three years as the CAG who is the top auditor of the Union Government. CAG reports are presented before Parliament. 

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a new scheme Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –“Saubhagya” to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.

The total outlay of the project is Rs. 16, 320 crore. The Government of India will provide largely funds for the Scheme to all States/UTs. The States and Union Territories are required to complete the works of household electrification by the 31^st of December 2018.

The beneficiaries for free electricity connections would be identified using Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data. However, un-electrified households not covered under the SECC data would also be provided electricity connections under the scheme on payment of Rs. 500 which shall be recovered by DISCOMs in 10 instalments through electricity bill.

The solar power packs of 200 to 300 Wp with battery bank for un-electrified households located in remote and inaccessible areas, comprises of Five LED lights, One DC fan, One DC power plug. It also includes the Repair and Maintenance (R&M) for 5 years. The Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) will remain the nodal agency for the operationalisation of the scheme throughout the country.

On this occasion PM Modi said that New India will require an energy framework that works on the principle of equity, efficiency and sustainability. He said the change in work culture in the Union Government is strengthening the energy sector. This in turn, will positively impact the work culture of the entire country, he added. 

“We are turning them from job-seekers into job-providers.”

In 2015, we set ourselves a target of 2030 to find solutions to many challenges on this Agenda. Two of these years have already passed. Surely it is already time to ask how much has happened. If complacency defines the next 13 years then we are in danger of losing control. We need a sense of urgency as well as unshakeable fortitude to take decisions that can avert catastrophe.

India has displayed the courage and leadership to take tough decisions which have launched the interlinked process of sustainable development. The complete eradication of poverty is the most important priority of the present government. There are two ways of addressing the curse of poverty. The traditional method is through incremental levels of aid and hand-holding. But our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen the more radical route, through economic empowerment. The poor are not helpless; we have merely denied them opportunity. We are eliminating poverty by investing in the poor. We are turning them from job-seekers into job-providers.

All our economic programmes have a principal purpose, the empowerment of the poor: Jan Dhan, Mudra, Ujjwala, Skill India, Digital India, Clean India, Start-Up India, Stand-Up India. 

The Jan Dhan plan must surely count as the world’s largest financial inclusion scheme. Those who did not have any money their bank accounts were opened with zero balance and this would not have happened anywhere in world that if you do not have any money you have a bank account. They have a bank passbook. But this impossible has been made possible in India. At least 300 million Indians, it’s not a small amount. This is the total population of USA. At least 300 million Indians who had never crossed the doors of a bank today have bank accounts: this is equivalent to the population of the United States of America. This was, understandably, not easy to complete in three years, but our banks, achieved this visionary goal set by our Prime Minister. While some remain to be included, the target has been set – every Indian family will have a bank account.

Mudra yojana has enabled government to fund the unfunded. Those who had never dreamt that bank credit was within their options, today, through Mudra, are getting soft loans without collateral to begin micro businesses. I am particularly delighted to inform you that over 70 per cent of these loans have gone to women. Unemployment spreads despair. Through Skill India, Start-Up India and Stand-Up India poor and middle class youth are being trained to match their honed talent with bank credit and become self-employed or small-scale entrepreneurs.

Ujjwala is a signature scheme of our government for poor women. They had to work hard for their kitchens, and sometimes they lose their eye sight because of smoke. Free gas cylinders are being provided to the poor so that women do not have to suffer the dangerous consequences of wood-fired kitchens. Uniquely, gender emancipation is at the creative core of this programme.

Demonetisation was a courageous decision to challenge one of the by-products of corruption, the “black money” that disappeared from circulation. Today, India has passed the Goods and Services Tax legislation, through which there is one-tax across the country, without the untidy and punishing system of multiple taxes under differing categories in different parts of the country. Our “Save the girl, Educate the girl” campaign is reducing gender inequality. Our Clean India programme is generating what can only be described as a revolutionary change in social attitudes and habits. 

The nations with rising capabilities will be able to generate such change, but the developed world must become an active partner in helping those vulnerable countries which are still mired in stagnant poverty reach SDG horizon within 2030. That is why the principle of Global Partnership was included in SDGs. 

“India has risen despite the principle destination of Pakistan’s nefarious export of terrorism”

Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror? What is the reason for this have they ever thought? There is only one reason. India has risen despite the principle destination of Pakistan’s nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of India’s freedom for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India’s development. We have marched ahead consistently without pause creatingIIMs, IITs, AIIMS and in the fields of education, health, space and across the range of human welfare.We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world. But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers. They have produced terrorists and terrorist camps. Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hijbul Mujahideen, Haqqani Network. We produce scholars, doctors, engineers, scientists. What did you make Pakistan? You created terrorists and Jihadis. And you know, Doctors save people from death; terrorists send them to death. Your terrorist organisations are not only attacking India but are also affecting our two neighbours, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

In the history of UNGA it may be a first that a country asked for a right of reply and it had to answer to 3 countries. Does this fact does not depict the reality of their actions? If Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer and better-off today. 

Terrorism is at the very top of problems for which the United Nations is searching for solutions. We have been the oldest victims of this terrible and even traumatic terrorism. When we began articulating about this menace, many of the world’s big powers dismissed this as a law and order issue. Now they know better. The question is: what do we do about it?

“Terrorism is an existentialist danger to humankind”

India has proposed a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) as early as in 1996, yet two decades later the United Nations has not been able to agree upon a definition of terrorism. If we cannot agree to define our enemy, how can we fight together? If we continue to differentiate between good terrorists and bad terrorists, how can we fight together? If even the United Nations Security Council cannot agree on the listing of terrorists, how can we fight together?

Through you, with utmost sincerity, I would like to request this august assembly to stop seeing this evil with self-defeating and indeed meaningless nuance. Evil is evil. Let us accept that terrorism is an existentialist danger to humankind. There is absolutely no justification for this barbaric violence. Let us display our new commitment by reaching agreement on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism this year itself.

“We mean peace not only among human beings but also peace with nature” 

Climate change has been indentified as one of the significant dangers to our existence. India has already said that it is deeply committed to the Paris Accord. This is not because we are afraid of any power, influenced by friend or foe, or tempted by some imagined greed. This is an outcome of a philosophy that is at least 5000 years old. Our Prime Minister has, on his personal initiative, launched the International Solar Alliance as witness to our abiding commitment to a cause.

When we talk of world peace, we mean peace not only among human beings but also peace with nature. We understand that human nature is sometimes inimical to nature, but we would like to amend human nature when it tends in the wrong directions. When we inflict our greed upon nature, nature sometimes explodes. We must learn to live with the imperatives, cycles and creative urges of nature; in that lies, our own salvation.

NEW DELHI : Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has said that the media has to avoid sensationalism and maintain its credibility while disseminating news. He was addressing the gathering after presenting the 14^th Shailikaar Prabhakar Samman Award to eminent journalist Smt. Anuradha Prasad, today. The award was instituted in memory of well-known Hindi writer, journalist and freedom fighter, Pt. Kanhaiya Lal Misra ‘Prabhakar’

Mr. Naidu said that the credibility was the most important thing in journalism and said, “Information with confirmation is more than ammunition”. He further said that any content that offends the sensibilities of the people was a matter of concern and self-regulation was the best way to address such a problem.

Recalling the pioneering role of journalism in freeing India from colonial rule and subsequently in strengthening democracy in post-Independent India, the Vice President said that a vibrant electronic and print media were continuing to play an important role in moulding public opinion. He further said that news values appear to have changed over the years. What would not have been considered to be even a filler in the past was becoming ‘Breaking News’ today and many a time, an off-the-cuff remark becomes a screaming headline, he added.

Asserting that he was not advocating any censorship, the Vice President pointed out that the media because of its reach and impact has a huge responsibility in ensuring that the people were not swayed or agitated by controversies which are best ignored. He further said that the cinema too must avoid obscenity, vulgarity, violence and double meaning dialogues. Of late there was a tendency of mixing news and views, he added.

Referring to freedom of expression, the Vice President said that it is best utilized when the value of such freedom was fully appreciated. He called upon newspapers and channels to refocus on developmental journalism so that different social and economic issues affecting the people and the country get highlighted and even bring about policy changes at the highest level. Development journalism was all the more relevant in a country like India to unravel various complexities and put things in the right perspective, he added.

Vice President said that we need to accord importance to mother tongue, while pursuing English as the link language. Describing various Indian languages including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Oriya and Gujarati as national languages, he said that proficiency in the mother tongue was vital before learning other languages.

Often you must have come across elderly with memory loss that disrupts daily life. There are some who face challenges in solving problems or difficulty in planning familiar tasks. If these are occasional problems then it could be age related changes. If not, then these are symptoms of Alzheimer Disease (AD). As per King’s College London’s World Alzheimer Report 2015, there are more than 9.9 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide, implying one new case every 3.2 seconds.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that gradually destroys memory and thinking ability and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Affected individuals may also develop confusion with time or location while few others may have poor judgement of things and frequent change in moods. Symptoms first appear generally in individuals above 60 years of age and AD is the most common cause of dementia. It often leads to behavioral symptoms, inability to combine muscle movements, jumbled speech, or loss of appetite.

Behavioural changes such as aggression, agitation, difficulty with self-care, irritability, meaningless repetition of own words, personality changes, restlessness, lack of restraint, or wandering away randomly and not being able to find way back are often seen. This is because the brains cell connections and the cells themselves degenerate and die, eventually destroying memory and other important mental functions.

The sad part about this disease like many others is that in the early stages the condition is almost unrecognizable. In the beginning, the patient may forget words and misplaces objects. The early stages do not interfere with ability to work or live independently.  In later severe stages, the patient loses memory to the extent that he/she cannot remember even basic abilities such as eating, walking, sitting etc.

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and management only includes supportive care and medications. “Cellular therapy is making innovations and attempting newer heights in the field of science and making possible treatments for conditions that was difficult to treat earlier. Damaged nerves were earlier considered to be difficult to treat, but regeneration of these nerves is possible with Cellular therapy(with the help of cells taken from one’s own body) . As stem cells exist in the brain, it helps repair neurological damage. With the help of a personalized holistic treatment plan encompassing cellular therapy, memory tasks to boost mental health as well as physical exercises and diet modifications treatment is offered,” said Dr. Pradeep Mahajan, Regenerative medicine researcher.

Dr. Dasaradhi Palakodeti with his team members. Image : Dhiru Bansal

In an ideal world, one would like to live with no deformities. How often you think about being able to re-grow limbs after an amputation or any injury. Imagine being able to regenerate your spinal cord after an accident has left you paralyzed. Nature has many examples of some tiny organisms completely re-growing from their small pieces. Scientists are studying such organisms to learn important lessons in regeneration.

Researchers at the Bangalore-based Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine have reported that deformities in the epidermis (outer skin layer) of an organism called planaria cause the defect in their stem cell function and regeneration. This is significant because epidermal cells are not stem cells.

Planaria are flatworms that live in fresh water and have the ability to regenerate from almost any pieces to form a completely new animal with all functional organ systems. Researchers used planaria as a model organism to understand the mechanism behind its immense regenerative ability.

“Our study has shown how the organization of epidermal cells during planarian regeneration is crucial for regulating stem cell function,” said Dr. Dasaradhi Palakodeti, a scientist at the Bangalore based Institute, and a co-author of the study published in the journal Development.

Regeneration is often synonymous with stem cells and most of the studies focus on understanding factors essential for ‘stemness’. “Here, for the first time we show how planarian epidermis (non- stem cell) plays a critical role in wound healing and stem cell function,” said Dhiru Bansal, first author of this paper.

However, it is still unclear how the environment surrounding stem cells regulates their function. Researchers believe stem cells are instructed by surrounding cells to make right decisions to proliferate and differentiate for regeneration, to give rise missing tissues. The team is working to understand the role of a specific protein called PABPC2 (cytoplasmic poly A binding protein) in regeneration.

“Our report about a crosstalk between stem cells and epidermis in planaria opens new possibilities that can be addressed in other systems as well,” said Jahnavi Kulkarni, one of the authors of this paper.

The study opens up a new possibility to discover the role of non-stem cells in the skin regeneration. Skin is often well-thought-out for its protective function but this new study highlights other potential roles of the skin. 

The research team included Dhiru Bansal, Jahnavi Kulkarni, Kavana Nadahalli, Vairavan Lakshmanan, Srikar Krishna, Vidyanand Sasidharan, Shilpa Dilipkumar, Akash Gulyani, Srikala Raghavan and Dasaradhi Palakodeti (Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore); Jini Geo and Renu Pasricha (National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore). (India Science Wire)

NEW DELHI: : In a reiteration of the U.S. commitment to remain an enduring strategic partner of India, U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis is paying a three-day visit to New Delhi from September 26 to 28. It will be the first Cabinet level visit under the President Donald Trump’s new administration at the White House.

Apart from meeting his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman who only recently took charge of the Defence Ministry, Mr. Mattis will also have a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The U.S. Defence Secretary’s visit will also emphasize the view of his country which sees India as an influential partner with broader mutual interests extending beyond South Asia, official sources said.

His visit comes within three months of Prime Minister Modi’s maiden meeting with President Donald Trump. The June meeting between President Trump and Mr. Modi signaled continuity in the U.S.-India defence and security relationship. The U.S. Defence Secretary will also express his country’s appreciation for India’s important contributions toward Afghanistan’s democracy, stability, prosperity, and security.

Beyond the optics, India is likely to tell the visiting U.S. Defence Secretary, a former Lieutenant-General, that Pakistan’s role in subverting institutions and giving shelter to terror outfits is a key factor in preventing peace and stability returning to Afghanistan. 

As U.S. needs Pakistan bases to strike at Taliban, it would remain to be seen as to which extent the U.S. would go in asserting its say to Islamabad. Defence analysts say that Mr. Mattis would also try to hardsell Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft to India which had earlier been rejected by the Indian Air Force. However, in the broader geopolitical and strategic scheme of things, Washington would need New Delhi in balancing and checking the power and rise of China.

“The growth of the defence relationship has been nothing short of astonishing. In the span of about a decade, defence trade shot from $1 billion to over $15 billion. The US and India take part in numerous and combined exercises, and the US now authorises the sharing of sensitive technologies with India on a level commensurate with America’s closest allies. There has also been a (somewhat under the radar) substantial deepening of the security partnership, with a focus on counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing,’’ Joshua A. White, Associate Professor of the Practice of South Asian Studies at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, wrote in a recent article.

India also remains a major defence partner of the U.S. and both President Trump and Mr. Modi underlined avenues for further cooperation. The partnership grew in strength with the 2017 edition of Malabar maritime exercise in the Indian Ocean in which US-India-Japan participated. In Aero India show in Bengaluru this March, the U.S. was a leading contributor which was a testament to the strength of the US-India strategic partnership.  The high-level U.S. delegation, impressive array of American military platforms and personnel, and significant representation from U.S. industry showcased enduring ties.

U.S. assets in Aero India 2017 included F-16C Fighting Falcons, a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and a C-130J Super Hercules transport. A Pacific Air Forces F-16 demonstration team showcased the capability of one of the U.S. Air Force’s leading fighters.

During the Obama regime, the then U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter had visited India three times, spearheading efforts to further deepen and broaden US-India Defence Cooperation and realizing the joint vision of the two countries for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean Region.

Mr. Carter had called the engagement a “strategic handshake” between the two countries as the American policy of rebalance to the Asia Pacific converges with  Prime Minister Modi’s “Act East” policy. A “technological handshake” between the two countries also sought to leverage the respective industrial and technological capabilities to meet mutual security needs.

Some of the strategic handshake elements include India’s designation as a “Major Defense Partner”, launching of a new bilateral Maritime Security Dialogue in April 2016, a joint strategic vision for the  Asia-Pacific and IOR in January 2015 by President Obama and Prime Minister Modi, signing of the Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship in June 2015 by Mr. Carter and the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and conclusion of US-India Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMA) in August 2016.

Under the technological handshake, U.S. and India in 2012 launched the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Under DTTI, the United States and India have launched seven joint working groups to explore collaborative projects and programs and signed two Science and Technology government-to-government project agreements – the Next Generation Protective Ensembles and Mobile Hybrid Power Sources – worth roughly $2 million.

Official fact sheet reveals that since 2008, U.S.-India defense trade has increased from roughly $1 billion to over $15 billion, including Indian procurement of 13 Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft, 10 C-17 Globemaster and 12 P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Boeing, as well as 22 AH-64 Apache and 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters. In December 2016, the United States and India signed a deal worth approximately $732 million to provide the Indian Army with 145 M777 Howitzer guns.

Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in her speech at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) slammed Pakistan on various issues. In a befitting reply, she thrashed Pakistan on the front of terrorism. 

10 points:

“Pakistan should not preach India on Human-right grounds.”

“We made doctors, Pakistan produced terrorists.”

“Good and bad terrorism is the new definition coined by Pakistan.”

“We have to fight terrorism together. Let us have an even vision for terrorism.”

“When Pakistani PM was preaching us yesterday at UN, people said, ‘look, who is talking.’ ”

“We produced scientists, doctors and engineers. Pakistan produced LeT, Hakkani Network and Jaish-e-Mohammad.”

“Pakistan forgot the Shimla Agreement and Lahore Declaration, that we will solve our matter without any foreign intervention.”

“India and Pakistan were liberated together. We are IT superpower, Pakistan is known as terrorism hub.”

“30 crores Indians linked to banks in mission mode.”

“Pakistan should be ashamed to give safe haven to terrorists and militant groups.”

After enduring the fight of his life, miracle baby NIRVAAN is finally going home following  132 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Surya Hospital, Mumbai. It was a dream come true for the parents and team of  Dr Nandkishor Kabra, Neonatologist and Director of NICU, Dr Sejal Desai, Dr Sejal Desai, Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Dr Hari Balasubramanian, Neonatologist & Dr. Bhupendra Avasthi with other 14 doctors and 50 nursing staff at Surya NICU  who spent several sleepless nights in managing this tiny tot all are happy to see nirvana go home healthy and happy.

The frightening dream transformed to reality for Mumbai couple – Retika and Vishal, when their baby boy NIRVAAN was born during the 22^nd week of pregnancy with a birth weight of 610 gms, head size of 22cm and length of 32cm. the infant has proved to be a miracle microman. India’s Tiniest surving infant by gestational age maturity of 22 weeks at birth.

The celebration of first pregnancy was short lived for the career oriented biomedical engineer, when her waters broke suddenly on 12^thMay. It was almost certain that she would deliver in few hours time. In Retika’s case adversity never came alone-she delivered within few seconds of admission to the labour ward of Surya mother and child care. There was neither time to prepare for a caesarean section nor an opportunity for maternal steroid treatment, each of which could have improved the survival outcome. Despite all odds, Nirvaan received timely attention by a skilled neonatal team during the ‘golden’ initial 10 minutes of life and was swiftly transferred to the Neonatal intensive care unit within 15 minutes of age where he was meticulously monitored and managed over the past 4 months.

Dr. Bhupendra Avasthi Said “Nirvaan had immature lungs at birth requiring ventilatory support right from the labour room. He required respiratory support for 12 weeks which included 6 weeks of ventilator support. Multiple doses of surfactant injections were instilled into the breathing tube to expand his lungs. He survived life threatening events such as Pneumothorax (air accumulation around the lungs) and brain bleeds to emerge as a crusader. A month long steroid treatment was needed to help him breathe on his own. The steroid treatment also increased his risk of having infection and high blood sugars which required antibiotic and insulin therapy. Multiple blood transfusions, LASER treatment of eyes and hernia surgery were also required during this period. Oral feeds could be given only after 3 months of age.”

“It took at least 6 weeks for the medical team to see the winner in Nirvaan. That was when he was taken off the ventilatory support and weighed 1kg while on complete milk feeds. He was however continued on non invasive respiratory support for the next 6 weeks. Oral feeds and breast feeding could be initiated only after 3 months of age. Multidisciplinary management in the form of heart and brain scans, bone integrity checks, hearing assessments, skin care, physiotherapy, lactation support was required. The family also was provided emotional support through rigorous counselling by the medical team” Said Dr Avasti.

“Sheltered in a closed incubator and in the midst of tubes, circuits, iv lines, probes, dressings, eye pads, etc. Nirvaan was virtually invisible in the initial days. All team of doctor & nurses are happy to see nirvana go home healthy and happy. Nirvana is on breast feeding and  with a weight of 3.72kg head size of 34 cm and length of 50 cm. The most important is going home, with an intact brain, vision, hearing and potential for normal long term neurological development.” said Dr Avsati.

Infants born between 22 and  24 weeks of pregnancy are considered perceivable infants or infants born at the limits of viability, as a foetus may not exist independent of the mother prior to 22 weeks. To a neonatologist and paediatrician, there could be no bigger challenge than managing a 22 weaker ultra micro premature new-born baby. To our knowledge, there is no report of a surviving 22 week newborn baby from our country. There is also limited experience with managing such babies.

When it comes to 22 weekers gestation premature infants, 40-50% of them are born dead (still born) worldwide. Among those that are born alive, less than 5% continue to survive. The United States – NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Neonatal research network has reported that only 2% of the live born babies have survived to discharge, and only 1% survived with normal neurodevelopmental outcome. A large population based study from France( EPIPAGE 2) has reported 0% survival in  such babies.

The surviving infants are at high risk of having serious neuro developmental disability such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, hearing loss, visual impairment, epilepsy. Hence, even in developed countries, only 20% of infants born at 22 weeks would be offered active resuscitation or life saving interventions at birth. About 80% of the babies would be provided comfort care in the delivery room

Nirvaan’s story highlights the fact that periviable infants born in developing countries not only have a chance, but also the right to survive and live a normal life.  In utero transfer of newborns to an advanced maternity cum neonatal hospital for delivery, sophisticated neonatal care and team work could make that happen. Surya mother and child care has served as a standalone newborn hospital in the heart of Mumbai city for the past 25 years. The country’s first surviving 24 week newborn baby SURYA was discharged from Surya on March 2011). SAKSHI – India’s first surviving 23 week baby was also discharged from the same. Having broken our own record after nearly 2 years, it is evident that intact survival of such micro premmies  may be a  daunting task, but not impossible.

A survey of policymakers across five countries – Colombia, Kenya, India, Indonesia and Senegal—on gender equality in their respective countries has show how little they actually know.

When asked about their awareness of the SDGs – which contain ambitious commitments to achieve gender equality by 2030, including a specific gender equality goal (Goal 5) and references to gender equality throughout the SDG framework (13 out of 17 goals), the awareness of policymakers of the SDGs was quite high – nearly eight in ten policymakers either knew “a great deal” or “a fair amount” about the SDGs, though it varied by country.

However, the highest proportion of policymakers with not much or no knowledge of the SDGs was found in India (38%). In Kenya, 65% of policymakers reported knowing “a great deal” about the SDGs, compared to 29% in Senegal, India (27%) and Colombia (20%).

When asked to estimate the rate of maternal deaths in their country (the number of women dying from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth), only 6% of policymakers came within 20% of the most recently available figure.

On the rates of early marriage for girls, just a quarter of policymakers came within 20% of the most recently available figure with the Columbian policymaker’s estimates of the percentage of girls married before the age of 18 ranged from 4% to 80% (the most recently available data says 23%).

In Kenya, when asked to estimate what percentage of parliamentary seats are held by women, the policymakers’ estimates ranged from 6% to 90% (the most recently available data says 21%).

Indian policymakers’ estimates of the percentage of women in the labour force ranged from 20% to 70% (the most recently available data says 27%).

The wide variation in responses raises questions about whether policymakers are aware, have access to or are sufficiently guided by the relevant, current data needed to assess progress for girls and women towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the survey  “Policymakers and Gender Equality: What They Know and How They Know It, ” carried out by Equal Measures 2030, a civil society and private sector led partnership that aims to connect data and evidence with advocacy and action, helping to fuel progress towards gender equality.

By surveying policymakers in five countries, this research seeks to shed light on the following questions: How do policymakers perceive progress on gender equality in their countries? What most needs to change in order to improve gender equality? What data and evidence do they rely on to make their decisions? How confident are they in their understanding of the major challenges affecting girls and women in their countries?

Across the five countries researchers found that half of the policymakers felt that gender equality gets too little attention in policymaking in their country, with considerable variation in the views of the men and women surveyed (67% of women stated this, compared with 33% of men).

One in five men felt there was too much attention to gender equality in policymaking. Gender equality concerns are seen to be given much more importance in some policy areas than others. For example, four fifths of policymakers thought that gender equality concerns were given a “high” or “very high” priority when setting policy on education, whereas just 38% thought gender was given a “high” or “very high” priority when making decisions about public finance.

Regarding perception of data and evidence on gender equality in policymaking, policymakers surveyed said they often use government data (79%), international data, such as from the United Nations (47%) and academic or research institution data (41%). Just under half of policymakers rated government data sources as “very useful” (47%).

When asked about their perceptions of progress on gender equality, the policymakers spoken to were fairly positive with 66% believing that men and women in their country were more equal than five years ago. But the answers to this question varied widely by sex: While nearly eight in ten men thought that progress had been made on gender equality in the past five years, only 55% of women agreed this was the case. More than twice the number of women than men felt the situation had not changed or worsened (44% of women compared with 19% of men).