Arundhati Konar, YourMoneySite.com
‘India’ might not be among
the developed nations, but most of the engineers, doctors, scientists
of developed countries are Indians! ‘India’ might not be the world’s
richest country, but probably has maximum black money in Swiss Bank.
India is definitely culturally rich, but is poor in hygiene awareness.
There are more negative aspects that make India stand out in so many
ways, yet they say mera bharat mahaan!
What is so
great about India? Looking into India’s royal history or its diversity
in religion, language, culture, cuisine etc, being an Indian definitely
feels proud. However, considering the present India, is there really
anything to be proud of?
On one hand, India has failed to maintain many of its preserved assets, while on the other, it has not only succeeded in retaining its ‘deficiencies’, but also excelled in acquiring new ones! For instance, with a population of 1.21 billion, India still maintains its second world rank- first being China. Interestingly, with implementation of one-child policy China’s population growth rate now stands at 0.48% (as of July 26, 2012), while that of India is 1.31%. This means, in a span of a few more years, India may easily surpass China in becoming the world’s largest population.
However, for something like poor health, India need not wait to beat anyone in world ranking. According to a survey by Central Intelligence Agency (US), out of 121 countries, India ranks first in the list of underweight children under the age of five years. And why not, for India spends only 2.4% of its GDP on health. Its health expenditures is among the five least, in world ranking. Countries which are considered to be poorer than India spend much more on health. For instance, Bangladesh’s health expenditure is 3.4% of its GDP, Afghanistan is 7.4% and that of Kenya is 12.2%.
It is equally surprising to see that countries whose doctor density compared to India is less, are way ahead in terms of good health. India’s physician density (i.e. physicians/1000 population) is 0.6, while that of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kenya stand at 0.3, 0.21 and 0.14 respectively.
Leading in yet another category, India tops the list of world’s most polluted country. According to a study released during World Economic Forum in Davos, India’s air is most polluted in the entire world, beating countries like China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh! The main cause is believed to be the rising number of vehicles in the country. Though India still has fewer vehicles per capita when compared to developed nations, its cars are more polluting, being aged.
Yet another benchmark that India has made on the international level is by featuring in the list of world’s top 10 countries in terms of highest reported crime rates! As per a report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, from crime against women to arms trafficking, India’s crime rate has risen dramatically over the years. India’s crime rate rose by nearly 10% between 2010 and 2011. Going by the United Nations Survey report on Crime Trends, India is among the top 10 countries in terms of highest reported crime rates. India has recorded of total 1,764,630 crimes (data as of July 30, 2012).
Population, health, pollution and crime are just a few of the resistances in the country’s growth and development. However, the list of societal deficiencies prevailing in India is a big one! India’s status in terms of corruption, illiteracy, unemployment, hygiene etc. is equally alarming.
It is strange but true, most of the Indians would agree with the negative aspects present in India, but very few will really work towards improvisation. For instance, Indians are very well known to keep public places littered. If you try to check someone with regards to hygiene, you would definitely get a piece of his mind.
However, the same individual will actually make efforts to maintain clean surroundings when in countries like US, UK, etc. One may not be in favour of bribes, however, if caught by a traffic police, his first attempt would be settling the issue by slipping a Rs 100 note in the authority’s pocket.
‘Unity in diversity’ has become just a phrase in India, because when it comes to implementation, Indians seem to have failed drastically. Yes, we are Indians, but when it comes to action, we are just individuals with ‘a lot of work’ or ‘someone else will do it’ attitude. Conclusively, citizens make a country and it is really for each Indian to introspect – Is ‘Mera Bharat Mahaan’?
On one hand, India has failed to maintain many of its preserved assets, while on the other, it has not only succeeded in retaining its ‘deficiencies’, but also excelled in acquiring new ones! For instance, with a population of 1.21 billion, India still maintains its second world rank- first being China. Interestingly, with implementation of one-child policy China’s population growth rate now stands at 0.48% (as of July 26, 2012), while that of India is 1.31%. This means, in a span of a few more years, India may easily surpass China in becoming the world’s largest population.
However, for something like poor health, India need not wait to beat anyone in world ranking. According to a survey by Central Intelligence Agency (US), out of 121 countries, India ranks first in the list of underweight children under the age of five years. And why not, for India spends only 2.4% of its GDP on health. Its health expenditures is among the five least, in world ranking. Countries which are considered to be poorer than India spend much more on health. For instance, Bangladesh’s health expenditure is 3.4% of its GDP, Afghanistan is 7.4% and that of Kenya is 12.2%.
It is equally surprising to see that countries whose doctor density compared to India is less, are way ahead in terms of good health. India’s physician density (i.e. physicians/1000 population) is 0.6, while that of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Kenya stand at 0.3, 0.21 and 0.14 respectively.
Leading in yet another category, India tops the list of world’s most polluted country. According to a study released during World Economic Forum in Davos, India’s air is most polluted in the entire world, beating countries like China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh! The main cause is believed to be the rising number of vehicles in the country. Though India still has fewer vehicles per capita when compared to developed nations, its cars are more polluting, being aged.
Yet another benchmark that India has made on the international level is by featuring in the list of world’s top 10 countries in terms of highest reported crime rates! As per a report published by the National Crime Records Bureau, from crime against women to arms trafficking, India’s crime rate has risen dramatically over the years. India’s crime rate rose by nearly 10% between 2010 and 2011. Going by the United Nations Survey report on Crime Trends, India is among the top 10 countries in terms of highest reported crime rates. India has recorded of total 1,764,630 crimes (data as of July 30, 2012).
Population, health, pollution and crime are just a few of the resistances in the country’s growth and development. However, the list of societal deficiencies prevailing in India is a big one! India’s status in terms of corruption, illiteracy, unemployment, hygiene etc. is equally alarming.
It is strange but true, most of the Indians would agree with the negative aspects present in India, but very few will really work towards improvisation. For instance, Indians are very well known to keep public places littered. If you try to check someone with regards to hygiene, you would definitely get a piece of his mind.
However, the same individual will actually make efforts to maintain clean surroundings when in countries like US, UK, etc. One may not be in favour of bribes, however, if caught by a traffic police, his first attempt would be settling the issue by slipping a Rs 100 note in the authority’s pocket.
‘Unity in diversity’ has become just a phrase in India, because when it comes to implementation, Indians seem to have failed drastically. Yes, we are Indians, but when it comes to action, we are just individuals with ‘a lot of work’ or ‘someone else will do it’ attitude. Conclusively, citizens make a country and it is really for each Indian to introspect – Is ‘Mera Bharat Mahaan’?
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