A/HRC/21/10 18. The success of Government’s programmes such as Sarvashiksha Abhiyan has led to high levels of enrolment in schools. 19. Equal emphasis had been placed on children’s well-being with enhancement of their food and nutrition through mid-day meals programmes in schools; and also on the availability of teachers and their retention. Civil society had contributed positively in this regard. 20. Rural habitation with access to primary schools had increased from 87 per cent in 2002 to 99 per cent in 2008. Female literacy showed considerable improvement by nearly 50 per cent in the last decade. Marginalized and minority group trends were also converging towards the national average in terms of literacy rate. 21. While the figures of child labour dropped sharply in the last decade, the problem of children who were neither working nor studying continued. In 2007, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights was established. 22. With regard to empowerment of women, the delegation stated that over one million of the over 3 million elected local representatives in Panchayats or village-level selfgovernment were women. Gender was being mainstreamed through several initiatives, including gender budgeting in all Government policies and programmes. A National Mission for Empowerment of Women was launched in March 2010. 23. India’s programme of affirmative action was unique in scale and dimension. The guarantee of equality in the Constitution was a positive mandate for eradication of inequalities and discrepancies. 24. Several recent steps have been taken to impact positively on the lives of the Scheduled Castes as well as the tribal population. Under the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, as of February 2012, India had settled 2.72 million claims out of the 3.17 million filed, or 86 per cent of the total claims and 1.25 million titles distributed. The Prime Minister’s new 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities was being actively pursued. Certain proportion of development projects was being earmarked for minorities’ concentration areas. 25. The delegation stated that more than 90 per cent of all households used improved sources of drinking water in 2008–09. 26. The National Food Security Bill was a historic initiative in ensuring food security, as it marked a paradigm shift from welfare to a rights-based approach. People had access to adequate quantity and quality of food at affordable prices, enabling them to live a life of dignity. About two thirds of the population would be entitled to receive subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System. There was special focus on women, children and other Special Groups. 27. The Public Service Delivery Acts enacted by more than 12 states of India guaranteed specified service standards to the vulnerable sections of the society. “Aadhaar” would give a unique identity to all residents to ensure streamlined and effective access to social and organized infrastructure. 28. The delegation stated that India’s establishment of the National Green Tribunal was yet another innovative action widely welcomed internationally. 29. The delegation stated that in 2011, Margaret Sekkagya, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, visited India. It mentioned the Government’s active association with civil society and the increasing and important role that civil society and human rights defenders are playing in the area of human rights. The media, civil society and other activists have helped the Government to be vigilant against transgressions. The 5