India is on track to meet its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing multidimensional poverty by half well before 2030, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday.

According to the UNICEF report, around 206 million children in India -- nearly half of the country’s child population -- lack access to at least one of six essential services: education, health, housing, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. Of these, about 62 million children face two or more deprivations, underscoring persistent inequalities despite national progress.

The report, released on World Children’s Day, said more than half of India’s 460 million children now had access to basic services, but the gains remained uneven across regions and communities.

“India has made strides in poverty redu

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