DHAKA: If the Human Development Report, 2005, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is considered accurate, there is some positive news about Bangladesh, particularly when the country is suffering from the image crisis because of rise of Muslim extremists and Transparancy International report which placed the country on top of the ladder of the most corrupt countries of the world.

The UNDP report, released early this month, shows that Bangladesh has done quite well, compared even to India, the country’s powerful South Asian neighbour, in certain key areas like health, education and gender equality sectors

The HDR 2005 points out that the present Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Bangladesh is now 46 per 1000 live births, while the rate in India is 63. Bangladesh s Under-Five mortality rate is 69 per 1000 live births, while India’s is 87.

Bangladesh was far behind India on both counts only three and a half decade ago. In 1970, Bangladesh’s (erstwhile East Pakistan) IMR was 145 as against 127 in India, while the Under-Five mortality rate was 239 compared to India’s 202. Even in 1990, Bangladesh’s IMR was 94 per 1000, while India’s was 80.

Bangladesh’s better performance in social sectors vis-à-vis India is particularly significant, because the country’s per capita income is $376 as compared to India’s $564.

The country has also fared better in literacy rate and gender parity. Bangladesh’s adult literacy rate is 41.1 per cent and youth literacy rate is 49.7 per cent, which is much lower than India’s 61 per cent adult literacy and 76.4 per cent youth literacy. Bangladesh has achieved close to 100 per cent gross primary school enrolment rate, while the net primary enrolment rate in India is 87 per cent.

Besides, Bangladesh has eliminated the gender gap in both primary and secondary school enrolment, which is remarkable in gender discrimination riddled South Asian region. Notably, Bangladesh’s female to male ratio in primary, secondary and tertiary level enrolment is 54:52, while in India the rate is 56:64.

Notably, the World Bank’s Attaining the Millennium Development Goals report on Bangladesh, published in June this year, observes that the country’s girls have higher rates of school attendance than Indian girls. The report recognises that Bangladesh is the only country in South Asia other than Sri Lanka, which has achieved parity in male and female enrolments at both primary and the secondary levels.

However, Bangladesh’s achievements in the said social sectors could be attributed to more government spending on education which has increased the allocation for the sector by 50 per cent and 45.1 per cent of the funds are being spent on primary levels, since 1990.

Many believe in Dhaka that things in Bangladesh could have been far better, had there been no bitter political rivalry between the two major political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and the Awami League of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.