Rising and shining on all indices, India is proudly continuing its forward run to challenge any super power. Terms like GDP growth, interest rates and FDIs have been appearing in the most positive sense consistently over a period of last few months.
I don’t mean to paint a bleak picture out here, but is this growth favoring a majority of the Indian populace? The farmer still can’t get rid of the middle-men when it comes to selling his produce. The end consumer- the common man, hence bears the burden of rising food inflation. The average household is spending a significant proportion of its income in buying a perishable commodity like onions! Educational expenses are increasing and buying a 5*5sq. ft. balcony (though you can’t buy one) in Mumbai is also beyond the reach of (Soniya Gandhi’s) aam aadmi. The number of BPL families and the percentage of illiteracy is discomforting. What is India going to do with the largest workforce comprising people below 35years of age? Majority of them are not fit to cater to the needs of a constantly changing industry. Drop out rates at secondary school is an immediate cause of concern. The curriculum is unable to find practical applicability. Vocational training and higher education is marred by disproportionate reservation policies. So, a brain drain is inevitable and even justified to a certain extent. In this scenario, will scores of 30+ individuals prove to be a ‘force’ that can empower the nation in the truest sense?
A developmental project incurs colossal expenditure because getting clearances involves too much of pushing the (filled) envelope. Property rates are so high in Mumbai that getting a workplace for operations calls for investing a fortune. Though the realty rates in the city are comparable to those of the costliest cities of the world, the infrastructure is barely conforming to international standards.
The number of billionaires in the country is impressive. The problem with our economy is that only the rich get richer and the bottom of the pyramid remains untouched. The entire growth process is far from being holistic. What percentage of the population can actually gain from a rising sensex?
The health of the nation is miserable. Private spending on health in our country is starkly high. Super specialty hospitals cater to the urban patients. Healthcare facilities at affordable prices are not available in most rural India. Year after year, a significant percentage of Indian population is pushed into the gallows of poverty, thanks to illness and lack of affordable medical assistance.
These realities cannot be ignored. They seem to debilitate the very foundation of our growth story. How can India prosper when death knolls continue to ring in the regions of Vidarbha? Hope this New Year, we turn the page in every sense and the government brings in policies and initiatives that will grant our beloved nation, the glory its worthy of!
I now call upon, the winds of change…!!!
4 comments:
As we stand on Dadar Chawpati in one of Hardik's mysteriously hidden lanes, we look at the Bandra Worli Sea Link in amazement and pride...and this fellow comments when none was solicited that "Tyat kay ahe...China ne yach period madhe 35 bandhlya ahet"....the only answer to him is..."Murkha,..China ne bandhlya tar bandhu det...hi Mumbai madhe ahe ani jabrich ahe!!"
We have out set of problems and the India shining story will remain a 3D movie to be watched in Inox only by very few eligible people if we do not correct now...and the onus is always upon us...the young generation!! so when you are calling for the winds of change, you are calling upon all the GenNext to be the change you want to see! (Well the last line is stolen :))
The problems of present day India have been beautifully tackled in your post.It continues to surprise me how we are so used to living in this duality called India. We are a rising Asian superpower. We are a force to reckon with. And at the same time we can still witness the India of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Many a calls have been heard by the young generation of India to rise and transform the nation. Young India, I think, has risen. Young India is doing its bit. And young India will usher the nation into an age of Indian dominance. How long this would take is a tough guess. But when it happens, we will be able to say, "I have been a part of it! Proud to be an Indian!"
i agree with the statistics and figures, but i don't agree with your interpretation.
are you saying india is getting worse? i hope you aren't, because it isn't. india is getting better.
if we have improved in the last 10 years, we are in a better position now to improve even more.
it's true, we have inefficiencies, and they may seem huge, but i firmly believe that they are are being overshadowed by the sheer force of our march of progress.
@Kris: i am not saying and i will never say India is getting worse...our progress is too blatant to ignore..what concerns me is that the growth is more of an extension than exuberance...and what makes me hopeful is the GenX which is socially and morally responsible, educated and willing to take the diverse challenges headstrong.
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