A/HRC/21/10 security. These included the landmark Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Right to Education Act of 2009 and the National Food Security Bill. 9. Transparency in governance was brought about through the RTI, Citizens Charter and E-governance. The right to approach the Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights was elevated by the Constitution to the status of a fundamental right. Also, enforcement of social, economic and political rights was advanced by the effective use of “public interest litigation”. 10. Terrorism and insurgency posed existential threats. Left-wing extremism and violence was an internal challenge which was being met with resolve coupled with compassion and people-oriented development. 11. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1948 was held to be constitutional by the Supreme Court. Several checks and balances had been introduced with strict guidelines when dealing with terrorists and insurgents, and that violations were dealt with swiftly and transparently. The implementation of this Act remained under constant review. 12. The delegation referred to India’s standing invitation to special procedures of the Council and stated that in 2011 Christoph Heyns, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, visited India. The Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) promptly looked into allegations of enforced disappearances. Also, India had been working closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to strengthen response against trafficking in persons. 13. For centuries, India had welcomed all religious denominations, minorities and refugees, including the Jewish community which had lived in India for thousands of years without discrimination, and the Zorastrians/Parsis over hundreds of years or, more recently, refugees from Tibet, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other countries. India’s practices on refugees were far more developed, caring and humane than that provided for in the current international regime. 14. The last four years had seen tremendous strides in focusing on groups needing special attention including children, women, the disabled, the elderly, minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 15. India’s efforts in the sphere of social and economic advancement had been significant. Poverty had declined by 9 per cent in a decade. MGNREGA played an extremely crucial role and provided 54 million households with employment in 2010 and 2011. Forty-eight per cent of the employment created was for women. The declining trend in the unemployment rate between the years 2004–05 and 2009–10 was equally visible among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and minorities. 16. India was also striving to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. It was on course to meet the universal primary education goals. The infant mortality rate decreased appreciably from 58 per thousand live births in 2005 to 47 in 2010. The maternal mortality rate was down from 254 in 2004 to 212 per 100,000 live births in 2008, though much more needed to be done. 17. The Right to Education Act made primary education a fundamental right and required the State to provide, by law, free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years. This Act contained several visionary changes, including the requirement that schools must admit a minimum of 25 per cent of children who belong to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. This was a significant step towards social and cultural integration and elimination of disparities in the country. 4