The longevity puzzle

Life expectancy remains sub-par despite massive govt schemes

News that the average Indian can expect to live about 69.7 years, around two years more than the life expectancy 10 years ago, comes as a damper on the country’s self-image as an emerging power player on the global stage. Of course, when seen across a broader time horizon, India’s life expectancy can be considered to have improved by leaps and bounds from an abysmal 32 years around the time of independence. But 70 years of life expectancy for a 75-year-old nation looks modest when set against the global average of 72.6 years and when compared with neighbouring Bangladesh (which