Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that India was facing inequality including economic, social, regional and rural-urban. . "Rising inequalities concern us because the adverse effects of economic, social and political inequalities can prove damaging to our march towards accelerated, inclusive and sustainable growth’’. Equity, he said, was complimentary with long-term and sustainable growth.He stated this while releasing a Social Development Report 2018, Rising Inequalities in India, in Delhi recently.
Recalling ten years of the UPA government, Dr Singh said that several rights based legislations had been introduced such as the Right to Education Act, the Right to Information Act, Forest Rights Act, Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. He made a strong case for the effective implementation of all rights-based legislation as an important means to address the issue of inequality.Chronic inequality would, the Congress leader stated, have a strong backlash. The adverse impact of unequal economic opportunities, social relations and political power on development would damage India’s march towards inclusive and sustainable growth.
 
Congratulating the editors of the report, Dr Singh said that the report was a useful particularly useful for policymakers, academicians and civil society and all those concerned with rising inequality.Speaking on the occasion,  Dr T Haque said the report explored the relationship between the nature of economic development and inequality, and provided a comprehensive analysis of the challenges, and implications of rising inequities in India in all its dimensions.   Prof. Narsimha Reddy said the report would mark a turning point in thinking about inequality.