KATHMANDU, Jan. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Nepal is in the position of achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on lowering child mortality rate as per international commitment, a senior official said here Saturday.

    "Nepal has been successful in lowering the rate to 91 from 172 on 1,000 living births in Nepal in 1990 and the situation to achieve MDG has been perceived," Yashobardhan Pradhan, director at Child Health Division of Nepali Ministry for Health and Population, told reporters.

    Nepal is now among the seven countries which have been close to achieving the goals of decreasing the mortality rate of children under five years of age by 2015, Pradhan said, adding, "Nepal has to lower the rate to 54 per 1,000 living births by 2015."

    Nepal has made a commitment to lower the mortality rate to achieve the MDG declared for the developing countries of the world in the United Nations Millennium Conference that was held in 2000.

    The programs of administering vitamin A through woman volunteers, and the program run by the government on safe motherhood under direct supervision of the community were instrumental in lowering the child mortality rate, Pradhan said.

    More than 200 children under five died among 1,000 living births in the 1970 decade in Nepal. "This reached to 170 in 1990 and dropped to 91 since 2001," Pradhan added. Enditem