Quality of life in Delhi has improved significantly in the last few years due to high economic growth and better delivery of basic services but safety and security of residents remains an area of concern, a report released on Saturday by Vice President Hamid Ansari said.
According to Delhi Human Development Report 2013, access to basic services like power and water supply, public transport,health care facilities and educational opportunities have improved in the city in the last seven years. The study compared findings of a similar report in 2006. Despite the above achievements, the report, prepared by Institute for Human Development, said "equity" continues to be a concern as access to some of the services remains riddled with disparities.
"The disparities are visible when various income groups and types of settlements are taken into account. There are gender gaps in work participation and literacy.
There also appears to be an issue with regard to public safety for the citizens in the state," it said. The report expressed concern over high crime rate in Delhi and said the rates of kidnapping and abduction of children in Delhi increased significantly from 4.5 per one lakh population in 2004-06 to 18.3 per one lakh population in 2012.
It said Delhi reported higher rates of violent crimes such as murder and kidnapping compared to other cities. It said the overall rates of crime against women increased from 16.8 to 20.7 per one lakh women between 2004-06 to 2010-12. The rate of rape has gone up to four per lakh women during 2010-12 compared to 3.2 during 2004-06.
Analysing the official date, the report said the crime rate against children in Delhi is among the highest, with rape and kidnappings constituting the main crimes. Speaking on the occasion, Ansari noted that the issue of safety and security has been agitating the public mind and government must restore people's faith in police and justice delivery system.
The report analyses issues from two perspectives: first, the facts on the ground; and second, people's perceptions regarding the same. A total of 8,000 people were surveyed to prepare the report. About basic services, the report said though access to public health facilities has improved, it still falls short of acceptable standards, particularly due to overcrowding, an inadequate health workforce and skewed facility locations, all of which have a bearing on the quality of services and responsiveness of the health system at large.
The report said employment opportunities have expanded and the earnings of casual as well as regular workers have shown an increase. The female workforce participation has somewhat risen from its low base level. "The tightening of the labour market has possibly contributed to the lowering of poverty in Delhi. During the period 1999-2000 to 2011-12, an additional 1.3 million people were added to the workforce, reaching to 5.56 million.
The female workforce participation rate, which was less than 9 per cent in 1999-2000, increased to over 11 per cent by 2011-12," it said.
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