Development Issues in India
Unit 1: 1.5
Notes by Sis Patricia Michelle Mathias for students of BJMC
India is a vast country. Having being colonised for a very long time, India, took time to develop and get into the bandwagon of development. While, India was primarily a farming country, with gradual industrialisation and economical raise however, a vast population today has turned urban. When it comes to development issues, each state has its own list of development achievement and a much-needed growth in many areas.
As a teacher, it is my observation that Rural and Urban areas have their own development necessities and need to be addressed uniquely. The following article on this topic is based purely on my personal observation. Dear students, you are free to define the development issues with example based on your personal experience in your state or country.
Urbanisation
Industrialisation and a gradual opening of the country’s policies to a mixed economy of both State and the Private enterprise led to a gradual urbanisation. However, urbanisation while having contributed to development and economical growth also led to many development issues. Dr Venkatigalla Venkatesham mentions in his paper that some of the causes of Urbanisation were “Expansion in government services, as a result of Second World War, Migration of people from Pakistan after partition of India, The Industrial Revolution, Eleventh five year plan which aimed at urbanization for the economic development of India, Employment opportunities are very important reasons for people moving towards cities, Infrastructure facilities in the urban areas and Growth of private sector after 1990”.[1]
However, with urbanisation, people started flocking to the city in view of meriting Opportunities and jobs aiming at a better living. While, India has grown, one cannot deny that Urbanisation has led to over-populated cities, scarcity of jobs, increase in slums, Housing issues, poverty issues, Health and Sanitation problems, Garbage Disposal problems, Water and Electricity supply problems, Costlier Living in Cities and Environmental Hazards due to massive industrialisation and Global Warming.
Rural areas had other issues. While Social indicators have improved in India, India continues to face issues such as Farmer’s suicides, Mal-Nutrition, Educational Policy Implementation, Lack of Health care and Sanitisation Issues, Women Empowerment, Religious and Caste Discrimination, etc.
Development issues in Urban India
Migration and Over-populated cities
The scope for a better prospect in life leads many villagers to the cities as villages offer less opportunities. With massive losses many farmers have committed suicide over a period of years. Others, have turned to the cities wherein, there is a scope of earning. Thus migration has gradually led to an increase in the urban population. This also adds to the problem in cities that get over-crowded.
Slums and housing issues
While people travel to cities with high hopes and ambitions, the costly living makes it unaffordable to buy houses or for that matter pay huge rents. People often end up in slums or ‘jhuggis’ as it is called in India for this very reason. Even a middle-class family who can afford fairly good food, clothing and education for their kids finds it an extremely expensive affair to buy a house in cities with the very high pricing. The poor turn to chawls, rented rooms, jhuggis, slums or huts. Living here is not easy, as these houses do not have in-built facilities. Common Latrines, Common water tap allocation, Limited electricity supply etc are all daunting issues that plague many cities.
Transportation hassles
The overcrowding in cities has also led to over-crowded transport facilities. For instance, the local trains in Mumbai are miracle carriers. Scores of people travel day in and day out in trains that bludgeon with people or for that matter, the bus transport in Delhi or other cities of varied states. While trains and buses provide cheaper alternatives, one cannot deny that the crowd only seems to be expanding.
Health and Sanitation issues
Over-crowding leads to health hassles as well. Many people in the cities live near huge open Gutters, Garbage dumps and over-crowded slums with common toilets. People dump trash in open places, sometimes even in gutters leading to blockage. All this gives an impetus for sickness and ailments. Malaria, Dengue, Tuberculosis and other ailments are inevitable after the rains despite the Government trying their might. In many places, especially slums, people themselves contribute to unhealthy living lifestyles by defecating in the open or on the roadside instead of common toilets or throw trash out of their windows. On the other hand, the poor can’t afford medication either.
Sadly, in India, even today, to clean sewage tanks, manpower is still used. Many poor individuals have died cleaning blocked sewage tanks. While there is newly developed machinery, this is yet to reach all corners of India.
Another issue is the poor sewage system that is noticed in many places across India. “The drainage system in many unorganized colonies and slums do either not exist and if existing are in a bad shape and in bits resulting in blockage of waste water. These unsanitary conditions lead too many sanitation related diseases”.[2] (Venkatesham, 1991)
Another fact is that environment, river beds, rivulets, ponds, and lakes, underground streams were not taken into consideration while having allotted plots for houses and development. This has often led to massive clogging and water accumulation during bouts of rainfall. Many rivers, lakes and ponds in India have turned to gutter that carry industrial sewage and human waste leading to health hazards and natural hazards for flora and fauna too, The example of this is seen in many lakes in Bangalore, India which have started frothing massively due to chemicals.
Water and Electricity problems
While the cities get unlimited supply of water and electricity, especially metropolitan cities, this comes at a heavy cost. The city goer pay heavy taxes, but our rural population suffers as they are often deprived of these facilities. Water shortage and electricity failures are often common occurrences in many parts of India. People just on the outskirts of the city face all these hassles.
Poverty
While some manage to make a living, not everybody succeeds. Poverty and mal-Nutrition are rampant. Unemployment is on the rise, further escalating poverty.
Crime
Poverty and greed being adverse has also led to many negative practices. It is not uncommon to see beggars in India who literally pester you in the cities for money or food. In many cities, it is being touted that people have started a mafia that handles beggars. Prostitution is another outcome of poverty. While Poverty need not necessarily always lead to crime, one cannot deny that it can often be the cause that invokes immoral activity in an attempt at survival. Thefts are common occurrences in cities. The over-crowded cities and a mixed population also invites drug peddlers and kidnappers. It is a common occurrence across the world, that often the youth are victims of this menace.
Rich and Poor divide
This divide that exists across all developed countries is also an integral part of India. The rich can afford a lavish lifestyle. The middle class too has division as the upper-middle class that is fairly rich and can live a good life and the lower middle-class families who may not have an extravagant lifestyle, but are not deprived of everything, followed by the poor who lack many necessities.
Development issues in Rural India
Caste Discrimination
India is a land rich in culture and tradition. However, this has both merits and demerits. While our cultural and traditional practices are rich and beautiful. There are certain practices of discrimination that are a blot on humanity. The Caste discrimination and Religious bias are such blots. These are often the cause of discriminatory practices, un-equal treatment and even riots in many places. Caste Discrimination exists even today in many villages and despite people getting educated, this cultural bias continues which leads to inequality at many levels. Even today, in many villages, a higher caste will not have meals with a lower caste or for that matter drink water from the same well.
Farming issues
Monsoon is a prime contributing factor to the well bieng of farmers. Climate change, and fluctuating monsoon patterns have caused massive loss to farmers. While they get loans, farmers after running a loss are unable to pay back these loans. Besides land division is unequal too. When in debt, farmers mortgage or sell their lands. These and many other issues cause Farmers to attempt suicide.
While green revolution led to a massive output in the initial years. The excessive use of water, fertilisers and pesticides has led to the degradation and infertility of the soil. Many places are also having massive water shortage as the water leves in the soil have gone very low. While development was achieved, farmers over the years have paid the price and are today realising the outcome of the green revolution.
Illiteracy
Except for Kerala no other state has achieved full literacy in India. This is a setback for the entire country.
Male-Female discrimination
The male -female ratio is unequal in many parts of India. Female foeticide and abortion of female foetuses is rampant due to the dowry culture wherein a bride’s family pays a massive amount to the groom’s family. This cultural practice which was initially meant as a security for the woman has turned into a curse. It exists in varied forms even today.
While, there are two or three matriarchal cultures in India, like the Khasi tribe and the Nayyars in Kerala; and not all states have the dowry system like the North-eastern states of India, some states still have the dowry system which has made the poor families poorer, in a vain attempt to pay a huge marriage price for the girl. The higher the qualification of the boy, the bigger the dowry and the gold decked on the female child. Out of fear of the law, the word dowry is not mentioned, rather, it is considered as a gift. Dowry for the boy is high despite the fact that the girl pay be educated and can earns a living or has a job. This often leads to many families trying to do away with the female child.
In many houses, when there is a lack of resource, the male child is sent for studies, the female kid is taught to perform house chores and some basic education if possible only. While India has developed massively and this culture has changed, in many interior villages, this is still the norm. Girls in certain villages are forbidden to dress and walk as they want due to cultural practices that exist in the particular village. Even today in many interior pockets of India, where there are no ‘inbuilt’ toilets for women, the female folk rises early in the morning before the men rise, heading towards forests or large fields to defecate. Those who are educated or in the cities are luckier for this matter.
Poor infrastructure
In many interior villages, there might be a hospital with barely a few doctors or few facilities. In some places, in extremely interior pockets, speciality hospitals are unheard of. The studies are a costly affair and most Doctors don’t wish to serve in these pockets where there in lack of income, security and facilities. There is also insufficient health insurance.
Lack of transportation facilities
India is a very vast country. While the cities may be crowded, a large chunk still lives in villages. There are many villages in India, which still lack transport facilities. There might be buses or just one bus that commutes in the morning and in the evening. Such transport hassles are a part of the daily lifestyles of many villagers.
These are some of the issues that our country India faces when it comes to Development.
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