To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many departmental staff are located in India; and where they are located. (129950)

DFID India has total 117 staff. Of these, 21 are UK based Home civil servants and 96 are staff appointed in country. DFID India has offices in Delhi (Headquarters), Bhubaneshwar (Orissa), Kolkata (West Bengal), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). Of the current total, 107 staff are based in New Delhi, four staff in Bhopal and three each in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of India’s progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. (129952)

DFID India regularly assesses progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in India. These assessments are based on official Government of India statistics, but take into account concerns over the quality of data and independent assessments where appropriate.

Sources for recent assessments of progress in India include the Government of India’s 11th Five year plan approach paper, the Government of India’s Millennium Development Goals India Country Report, and the United Nations and World Bank database of progress indicators for Millennium Development Goals.

A summary of results is available on the World Bank website at:

http://ddpext.worldbank.org/ext/ddpreports/ViewSharedReport?REPORTID=1336&REQUEST_TYPE=VIEWADVANCED