74 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE: WHERE ARE WE HEADING?

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        74 Years of Independence of the world’s biggest democracy India. India is one of the developing nations in the world. But due to its giant strides in the past few decades, we are now the fifth-largest economy by nominal Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and third-largest economy by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). We are the first Asian country to reach Mars and the first country around the world to do so in its first attempt.

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        However, being an Indian we can't resist that 'Let it be' (chalta hai) kind of common attitude. Moreover, we have 'Makeshifter' (jugad) for everything. But in between this, we cannot forget everyday issues, which continue to pose hurdles in the progress of the nation. These social, political, and economic issues are meant to be taken into consideration, to improve the prevailing condition of our society. Issues like corruption, crime, condition of the road network, and so on, need to be looked into immediately. With the proliferation of information and technology, more awareness is spreading among the masses. New organizations are sprouting to find a fruitful solution to these problems. The activists involved are really working hard to eradicate these problems from their very roots.

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        Here are some of the challenges that we as a nation have to still find a solution to. The current major issues in India are:

• Women's Security
• Worsening Water Service
• Fake News Menace
• Agrarian Catastrophe
• Political Arrogance
• Flood Mismanagement
• Pending Justice
• Corruption
• Illiteracy
• Education System
• Basic Sanitation
• Health Care System
• Poverty
• Pollution
• Infrastructure
• Rise in Global Protectionism
• Unemployment

        We might be heading towards being a developed nation at high speed but we still have many problems to cope with. The problems listed above are just a few major problems we are facing on a daily base. We all have read a lot about all the above-listed problems in daily newspapers or on online articles or we might have heard of these in news or in debates held at public places by the common people. The whole thing is we all are familiar with all the issues we all know what they are why they are caused but still, the problems aren't resolved. Our government has made laws for the rectification of these problems and is trying hard to overcome these. But the situation we are getting into is bad to worst year by year. 

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        Facts are uncomfortable but yet important to be told. And the fact is we rank second in the list of the countries having the most violent crimes just after Brazil. Even in the list of the Crime index list, we are at the 65th position which I don't think is anyhow a matter of pride. 

        Let us head towards the list mentioned above. We have discussed it many times but let's discuss it one more time just in the hope that this time someone might get motivated and may get some courage to fight against wrong in the society.

 

1. Women's Security: 

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        Both men and women enjoy equal rights under our constitution. Both men and women have equal opportunities to grow. But as far as the security or the safety of the women is concerned, India lags behind issues like domestic violence, rape, the portrayal of women in media, etc. This must be tackled immediately. 

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        As I said earlier facts are uncomfortable but yet important to be told. And the fact is that 86% of women who experience never sought help and 77% of the victims never mention the incident to anyone.

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        Whenever we talk about women's safety, we just talk of domestic violence or rape, but we never take female foeticide into consideration. There is no point in discussing women's security if there will be no female born. According to a survey around 10 million female fetuses have been illegally aborted in India since the 1990's and about 500,000 girls were lost annually due to this practice. The situation gets worst in Haryana state in the past few years as due to the shortage of females in the state the families there started importing 'maids from other states to get their son's laid.' 

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        The domestic violence cases in the lockdown period is the highest as compared to the past 10 years record in a similar period. In 2020 between March 25 and May 31, around 1.447 complaints of domestic violence were registered which is the highest in the time-span on 68 days as compared to the past 10 years record.

 

2. Worsening Water Service:

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        India is facing the worst water crisis in history. Nearly half the population is struggling with drought-like conditions. This year, rainfall in western and southern states is below average. The NITI Aayog has warned that the demand for drinking water will outstrip supply by 2030 if preventive steps are not taken. 

        Nearly 600 million Indians suffer from high to extreme water stress. About 2,00,000 deaths per year are attributed to a lack of access to safe water. Experts predict that 21 big cities will run out of groundwater by 2020. It's high time we start taking this problem seriously and start finding ways to cope with it. Nor the day isn't far when we'll be longing for drinking water.

 

3. Fake News Menace:

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        Misinformation, hate speech and false propaganda on social media are dividing India’s community fabric one WhatsApp message at a time. Fact-checker Pratik Sinha believes, what gets maximum likes on Facebook goes viral at least five times more on WhatsApp.

        For two years his team has been debunking thousands of fake news cases. Ahmedabad-based Sinha, co-founder of India’s leading fact-checking site AltNews, says it is the lack of digital literacy that makes fake news acceptable.

        If Some of you still remember the Bois Locker Room case of May 2020. The case was just misguided by some of the social media graduates and due to which the nation lost a gem. So, I have said it earlier, and I'll repeat it just don't forward things that come to you on social media platforms unless you are sure they are true. Even if you feel they are true and genuine then also just validate it once. It might cost you a few seconds but I think you costing a few seconds is much less than someone costing his/her entire life.

 

4. Agrarian Catastrophe:

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        Suicides, debt burden, falling prices of produce… India’s farm economy is in turmoil. Massive protests by farmers swept India late last year as thousands of them marched to Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai in the last week of November alone.

        An estimated 26 crore citizens work in agriculture making about 55-57percent of India’s population is dependent on the sector. Despite the government’s implementation of the new MSP regime, profitable remuneration is eluding farmers.

        Agriculture contributed 21 percent to GDP in 2004-05 but has dropped to around 13 percent in the past 15 years. 

 

5. Political Arrogance:

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        “Hua toh Hua is the mantra of arrogant Congress,” PM Modi raged against Sam Pitroda’s cavalier remark on the anti-Sikh riots. Politicians consistently misuse their position to suppress cases, assault government staff, laud goons, and in extreme cases even rape women and get pliant cops to intimidate.

        As being the biggest democracy in the world we have the biggest amount of people standing in elections at different levels. The people who get into power try to benefit their family or loved ones illegally due to which the political arrogance gets a hike. 

        On the other hand, the family members or we can say the people associated with the person in power try to use his/her power for their benefit that increases the corruption rate and crimes in India. We as the citizen of India need to understand that if we are into power then it's because of the people who have voted for us. And it's our prior duty to serve the people who have chosen us and brought us in power. And if we are at the part where we have the right to vote then we must check that to whom we are casting our vote. Will that person actually benefit society or will misuse his/her powers. 

        It just does not end up here the political arrogance is at its peak when someone uses their power to mislead the people of the particular cast, gender, or tribe just for their own benefit. It’s not acceptable to put yourself before the nation.

 

6. Flood Mismanagement:

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        Monsoon is synonymous with floods. This year, rains killed nearly 500 between April 1 and July 17. Nearly six lakh houses and over four lakh hectares of crop were damaged, according to home ministry data.

        It’s the same story everywhere, every year: thousands evacuated, hundreds of dead, livelihoods lost, villages and settlements washed away, houses submerged, and the authorities always caught napping.

        People die even in the financial capital Mumbai, which is paralyzed by rain every monsoon. Even in recent Mumbai is experiencing heavy rainfall and many parts of Assam, West Bengal, and many other states have experienced a flood.

 

7. Pending Justice:

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        As being the second most populated country in the world and the biggest democracy in the world we need to have a great judiciary system. And I am proud to say that we have a great judiciary system in which the citizen of India faiths.

        Though we have a great judiciary system still we fail to provide justice on time and this is because the number of cases in the courts is much more than the number of people handling them. In a survey, it was revealed that there are somewhere around a lump sum of three crore cases pending across the Supreme Court, High Courts, and Subordinate Courts (including District Courts).

        The establishment of fast track courts was done in the year 2000. I hope to clear all the pending cases. But the condition gets worsens as these fast-track courts to have the cases pending in them.

 

8. Corruption:

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        The most widely spread endemic in India is corruption, which must be handled quickly and wisely. There is hardly any office, in both the private and public sectors, that is untouched from this disease. There is no telling how much loss the economy has suffered because of this. Though most of us are concerned, when the time comes to act, we, the people of India, should not be found lacking. I don't think we need to discuss where we all face this problem in our daily lives but I only want to say that we need to start acting legally to overcome this problem as that is the only way we could uproot this problem. 

 

9. Illiteracy:

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        The percentage of illiteracy in India is alarming. Though 74.04% of people were counted as literate in the 2011 census, there is a wide disparity between rural and urban areas and male and female populations. The condition in villages is worse than in cities. Though several primary schools have been set up in rural India, the problem persists. Many people who are counted as literate can barely read or write. Hence, providing education just to children won’t solve the problem of illiteracy, as many adults in India are also untouched by education.

        According to me, the illiteracy rate is high because the mentality of society is that one should only educate our boy not the girl. Though we are experiencing a change in this mentality recently but the damage has been provided in the past and a whole bunch of this generation is facing it. ‘If a boy child is being educated then only that boy child is getting knowledge but if a girl child is educated then we are educating a whole family.’

 

10. Education System:

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        The education system of India is blamed every now and then for being too theoretical, but not practical and skill-based. Students study to score marks, not to gain knowledge. This so-called modern education system was introduced by the colonial masters to create servants who could serve but not lead, and we still have the same education system. Rabindranath Tagore had written many articles offering suggestions to change the education system of India. But still, success is as elusive as ever.

        Even after 70 years of Independence, we have only experienced 3 National Policy on Education. The first two were in action in the respective two years 1968 and 1986 by the former Prime Ministers of India PM Indira Gandhi and PM Rajiv Gandhi and the third one is in action since 2020 as proposed by PM Narendra Modi.

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        This NPE will give a new direction to the youth as it allows them to choose the subjects, they want to study instead of the subjects which were burdened on them. According to a census around 50% of the population of India is of age group of which is bellow 25 i.e., we got a fair chance to create a change.      

 

11. Basic Sanitation:

 

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        Sanitation is yet another problem, but one of the biggest, in India. There are about 700 million people who have no access to toilets at home. Slum areas do not have toilets. People are thus forced to defecate in the open, which causes numerous diseases like diarrhea, cholera, dehydration, etc. Many rural schools also have no toilets, because of which parents do not send their kids, especially girls, to school. Due attention was drawn towards this problem by Gandhiji but nothing much was done. A growing population is the biggest challenge causing these problems. For example, the sewage system in Delhi was designed to meet the needs of a population of three million people. But Delhi now has more than 14 million of population. This is not just the case of Delhi; every state and region in India is the same.

        Though 12 million toilets claim to have been built under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the last five years, as per a UN report, 44% of the population continues to defecate in the open. Sanitation, solid waste management, and drainage continue to pose challenges in India.

12. Health Care System:

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        Indeed, the world’s most populous democratic country cannot provide proper healthcare facilities to its entire population. India is becoming a hub for medical tourism but all these facilities are not available to local residents, who happen to be poor. Healthcare is a neglected issue in India, as major attention drawers are agriculture, infrastructure, and IT. Lack of resources in rural India is a major concern of the day, leading to most of the problems. 50% of all villagers have no access to healthcare providers; Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 34 per 1000 live births; lack of nutrition caused stunning growth in 50% of all the babies, and 36% of people in India have no access to toilets.

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        Most Government hospitals established are fallen prey to corruption. As the doctors there demand the patients to come to their clinic for a better treatment just to get a fee which is 10 times of the original costing of the treatment. The workers working there demands bribe from the poor. Due to such acts the poor people don’t faith in hospitals anymore and the government. And as a result, at the time of election health care is taken as a strong propaganda to collects votes. Irrespective of the fact that it's not something to debate upon. Facts are uncomfortable but yet important to tell. And the fact is that the politicians collect votes on this topic in every election and then neglect the promises done by them during their campaigns till the next elections. Which is strongly condemned and is not acceptable at all.  

13. Poverty:

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The population of India living below the poverty line declined from 37% in 2004-2005 to 22% in 2011-12 (Planning Commission data). In 2011-12, 22% of the population (one in five Indians) lived in extreme poverty. This figure is expected to decline to 5% by 2022, as per World Poverty Clock estimate. However, 80% of the poor in India live in villages. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh have the poorest areas. 43% of the poor belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe categories, as per World Bank statistics (2016). This disparity needs immediate attention of the government.

14. Pollution:

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        Pollution and environmental issues are the other challenges that India is facing at present. Though India is working hard, there is a long way to go. Degradation of land, depleting natural resources, and loss of biodiversity are the main issues of concern due to pollution. Untreated sewerage is the major cause of water pollution. The Ganga and Yamuna rivers are today two of the most polluted rivers in India. The same is the condition of other rivers that pass through populated cities. Additionally, increasing construction and vehicular traffic also contribute to pollution in the cities. India needs to embark on a model of sustainable development.

        If you wish to deep dig this topic then I would suggest you to go through my article on this Earth is healing and 10 Reasons why the earth would be a better place to live.

15. Infrastructure:

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        India needs to work swiftly on its infrastructure development, towards better roads, affordable housing, and services like water, sanitation, primary healthcare, etc.

        Infrastructure was considered as one of the major pillars in the PM’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision.

16. Rise in Global Protectionism:

 

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        India is still in its developing phase, on the way to becoming a developed nation. Our country is enthusiastically overcoming each and every challenge coming across its way. Some of the grievances listed by India against developed countries such as the US are the problems encountered by the exporters of IT services, and tariffs imposed on the exports of products like steel and aluminum by the US. The US has also imposed sanctions on the purchase of crude oil from Iran, which is likely to hamper the Indian economy and increase its import bill. Moreover, India faces a constant threat of tariffs from many countries, and pressure to open up its domestic market. Therefore, the newly formed government must take necessary steps to protect the interests of India from foreign powers, that are constantly interfering in all spheres.

        To conclude, the government of India needs to create an ecosystem that enables private investments, increased consumption, the competitiveness of exports, and swift infrastructural investment. These steps can catapult India to the status of a global superpower that it rightly deserves.

17. Unemployment:

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        Unemployment, nowadays, is very common among the youth. This situation is also known as joblessness. Moreover, it is a set of circumstances where an able-bodied person is willingly searching for a job but is not able to find it. We can calculate the percentage of unemployed people prevalent in the economy by dividing it by the number of individuals currently present in the labor force. The government of India must take the necessary steps to eradicate it by creating more government and public sector job opportunities. Also, it needs to support the private sector industry that could provide jobs to the ones who really deserve it. As per the 2018 data, the rate of unemployment has increased to 3.53% from 3.52% in 2017. If not tackled immediately, it will become a challenge for our society and economy.

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        Even after 70 years of Independence, we are still on backfoot. We are still struggling to find a way out of our problems. On one hand, we are at the edge of being a supreme power but on the other hand, we are still incapable of solving our interior affairs. The questions that were unanswered in the past are still unanswered despite that they are raised on a regular time (at elections) and then dissolved till the next ones. 

Questions to be asked to oneself:

• Who is responsible for this condition of our nation?
• Where are we standing and where we were expected to stand after 70 years of Independence?
• How can we bring our nation back on track?
• When will we realize that it's not the duty of an individual to rectify the faults in the system abide its the duty of each citizen to do so?
• When will we start taking a stand against wrong?

I hope to get some answers to the above-mentioned questions in the comments section. 

  

Thank You!!