New York Times interviews USAID Administrator Shah about development, efforts to reduce child mortality in India

The New York Times' "India Ink" blog interviews USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah "on his recent trip to Mumbai about transformations in the development sector, the function of the private sector in development work and the aid agency's new programs and partnerships aimed at reducing preventable child deaths." The newspaper notes India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the India Call to Action on Child Survival and Development Summit in February "released a strategic road map to tackle preventable child deaths and introduced a National Child Survival Score Card and a dashboard to track progress on child survival and development." According to the interview transcript, Shah discusses efforts to improve transparency and accountability with regard to foreign aid in India; highlights India's progress in reducing child mortality as well as continued challenges; and examines the need to channel funding and resources toward "addressing the long-term issues" in addition to responding to crisis situations (Bagri, 3/26).