India in a Nutshell: The News is Not Good

What is happening in India? The fourth estate gives us selected pictures of the grim scenario in any country. Only when there is an accident or a suicide or when things go wrong, they are given paramount importance in the media, which dies down shortly.

This article will be putting light on such issues which are of contemporary relevance like child labour, environmental pollution etc., emphasizing economic problems initially and then moving on to social and environmental problems.

A major predicament of Indian growth is the widespread presence of unemployment, which is mostly chronic in nature. India is characterised by high rates of disguised unemployment especially in the agricultural sector.

More than 50% of the populace falls under the poverty line according to a study done by M Guruswamy and R N Abraham in Economic & Political Weekly. The study concluded that "the poverty line in India should be about Rs 840 per capita per month. At this expenditure level nearly 69 percent of India's total population is below the poverty line."

Less than one per cent of the GDP is allocated to the health sector, which is in shambles. Government hospitals are visited by those patients who lack money to go to private hospitals. The infant mortality rate is approximately 70, which is improving gradually but the desired change has not been brought about.

The educational system in India is also distorted. The literacy rate as per the 1991 census is 73.08 per cent. Most of the data collection undertaken is incomplete with respect to the people covered.

Be it any sector, financial, manufacturing or the agricultural sector, there is an informal sector present. Indian economy is dichotomised into formal and informal economy. The informal economy is unregulated.

Places in proximity to where nuclear tests have been conducted prove hazardous to future generations. Jadugoda, a district in Jharkhand, the only source of Uranium in India is where the nuclear program had its beginning. This has caused abject damage to the tribal populations and their progenitors living there.

India is rife with corruption. This is very much seen in all stages of the bureaucracy. Bribes are very common and it has almost become mandatory.

Owing to the plethoric corruption prevalent, black money is on the rise. If it were to be accounted in the GDP, we would have close to 10% growth rate.

Due to the inflexible and arcane nature of the labour laws, the life of labourers has been made difficult. This has resulted in high rates of strikes and lockouts.

Presence of child labour is very disturbing. In the recent times, an act was passed which prohibited children working in dhabas, schools etc. How effective this act will turn out to be is yet to be seen as these children working need to find alternative sources for income or they must be provided education.

Dowry system is still very much prevalent in the country. This makes it difficult for women from poor families to find spouses. This is also a main cause for female infanticide.

Caste system is deep rooted in Indian society. Though some refuse to admit that India still has the caste system, it is very much visible in the rural areas.

Manual scavenging is rampant in the society though most state governments refute the claim. It is sad to note that India still has innumerable dry latrines and they are cleaned by people with their hands and are paid extremely low wages.

Street vending is a common scene in both urban and rural India. They provide livelihood for a major part of the populace.

Over 300 ships a year are now being processed at Alang which has demolished over 2,000 ships since its inception in the early 1980s. This is an extremely hazardous job and especially as it is not conducted in a safe milieu. A not very intriguing fact is that the developed countries do not break ships! Instead all these ships are sent for dismantling to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. And lo, India just orders less than 1 percent of the total ships manufactured in a year.

People have been displaced by the government for creation of dams, Special Economic Zones etc. These displaced people have been shunned by the state governments.

Shanties pollute and traffic the urban areas. This also causes a burden on state governments who are supposed to provide accommodation to its citizens. They are now more commonly referred to as slums. These people live in extremely bad conditions which makes them prone to diseases.

Environmental pollution is reaching alarming rates. The documentary by Al Gore, An inconvenient Truth, portrays that environmental pollution is a harbinger of global warming and subsequently doom.

Flora and fauna are getting extinct at a fast rate. Owing to the high levels of air, water and soil pollution, many species of animals and plants are dying out. Animals are being killed for their hide and oil.

E-waste dumping by developed countries is also rampant. Apart from sending ships to break, they also dump the country with electronic or e-waste, which worsens the already bad environment.

Thus in total, India is a morass of alarming conditions of livelihood which has become so entrenched and deep rooted in the culture that it is difficult to disentangle.