“Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high,
where knowledge is free.
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it’s way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Where the mind is led forward by thee
into ever widening thought and action.
In to that heaven of freedom, my father,
LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”
No prize for guessing who said the above.
India has come a long way since 1947. Indeed, it has. The foundation of this great nation was laid so strong that it absorbed several severe shocks, overcame unsurmountable adversities and breached tough barriers to show the world that we are no more a THIRD WORLD nation; certainly not a land of snake charmers, as called by the west for a long time.
Today’s India is a nation that has the largest cohort (~254 million) of youth in the age bracket of 15–24 years. This youth is brimming with confidence, is fearless to experiment and is a source of innovation for the entire world. India is transforming at a breakneck speed and the whole world is admiring us. For those who believe in data, last year India overtook the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth biggest economy, after the US, China, Japan and Germany. Reserve Bank of India data says that at current prices and exchange rates, India will be a US$3.7 trillion economy in 2023, remaining fifth in the world standings. That’s the new, resurgent India, just 77!
However, the young and restless India has many hurdles to overcome before it claims the pole position. India needs to disrupt the world order and challenge the hegemony of the United States (in the domain of finance and technology innovation), of China (in the domain of manufacturing), Japan, Korea, and other South East Asian nations (in the domain of electronics and semiconductor), of the Europe in defence and space sector and so on…We can’t afford to trip. We can’t afford to look back and we also can’t afford to rest.
THE HITS!
India’s software exports reached a record high of US$ 320 billion in FY23 up from US$ 255 billion in FY22 increasing the share in global computer services exports to about 11%, says a DBS Group report. Nasscom’s forecast suggests that it will touch $500 billion in 2030. Figures until March 2023 say that the sector employs 5.4 million people.
India’s manufacturing exports stands at the highest ever annual number (US$ 447.46 billion with 6.03% growth). India is poised to export goods worth US$ 1 trillion by 2030. With 17% of the nation’s GDP and over 27.3 million workers, we have a manufacturing sector that can possibly give 25% of the economy’s output by 2025.
We stand at 4th position globally in renewable energy installed capacity (including large hydro power), 4th in wind power capacity and also 4th in solar power capacity states REN21 Renewables 2022 Global Status Report. India has set an enhanced target at the COP26 of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030.
By the year 2031, nuclear energy will account for nearly 9% of India’s electricity. Currently, India has 22 operational nuclear reactors, out of which, 18 reactors are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and 4 are light water reactors (LWRs).
India’s space programme is being executed at a phenomenal pace. We have gained global recognition for successfully launching lunar probes, making satellites, placing foreign satellites in their orbits, and even attempting to reach Mars. The global space economy is currently valued at approximately US$ 360 billion and India is the 4th nation to enter the elite space power club with an anti-satellite weapon. In year 2022 there were 180 orbital launches, which is more than double the 86 launches five years prior. ISRO today has over 223 active patents, 73 copyrights, and 13 trademarks. In 2022–23, 87 patent applications are being examined, and 21 are being drafted by patent attorneys before being filed at the patent office. (Below map shows India’s space activity)
India is called the global capital of digital payments. The country registered a growth of 13.24% in a year through March 2023, as per RBI’s index that measures the adoption of online transactions. Data suggests that India accounted for 46% of the global real-time payments in 2022, which was more than the combined digital payments the next four top countries. India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-led retail digital payments grew at a CAGR of 50% in the last five years, with digital transactions surpassing all major developed economies, including the US, the UK, and Europe. (See below)
India’s penetration rate of mobile phones was about 76.6% last year and this is estimated to significantly increase to over 86% in year 2026.
In India an estimated 522 million people were employed across sectors in year 2022. This is estimated to grow up to 569 millions by financial year 2030.
This is just a very representative list of accomplishments or hits. There’re many more things that are not mentioned in it. Also, I have not said anything revealing or presented any data that you’d not know. And all what I wrote above shall fill us with a great sense of pride and accomplishment. What we have achieved in last 76 years is nothing short of a miracle specially given the nature of our diversity and conflicts.
But there’s a lot to look into besides accomplishments.
THE MISSES!
Despite our agricultural self-sufficiency, a healthy GDP and better per capita consumption, we have a serious hunger crisis to deal with. On the Global Hunger Index (GHI) India ranked 107th out of 121 countries in 2022. While the poverty numbers are consistently falling down (from 21.9% in 2011 to 10.4% in 2017–18, more than 150 million people live below US$1.90 per day on Purchasing Power Parity. National Statistics Office (NSO) survey data shows that rural consumer spending fell by 10% each year, and by 4% in the urban areas. According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2022 Report’, 224.3 million people, or 16% of our population, are undernourished with 53% of reproductive-age women also being anaemic. 22.4 crore people in India are considered undernourished.
Health and healthcare is a big concern in India. We grew a billion more in the past 70 years, but the healthcare infrastructure has not grown proportionately. According to the Economic Survey 2022–23, Central and State Governments’ budgeted expenditure on the health sector reached 2.1% of GDP in FY23 and 2.2% in FY22, against 1.6% in FY21. However, in the current budget the budgeted expenditure on the health stood only around 1.98% of the GDP. The GHS Index assesses countries across six categories — prevention, detection and reporting, rapid response, health system, compliance with international norms and risk environment. Among 195 nations, India ranks overall at 66 with a score of 42.8 and a decline of 0.8 points since 2019 in the GHS index. A study by the World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health in 2014 projected that India stood to lose $4.58 trillion due to non-communicable diseases and mental disorders between 2012 and 2030. Out of this, cardiovascular diseases alone would account for $2.17 trillion and mental health conditions $1.03 trillion.
Education is one of the most critical foundational pillar of any nation’s progress. Here too there is a lot of scope for improvement. Rather, we are languishing compared to global super powers. When India became independent, the literacy rate in India was only 12% but it has increased to a whopping 77.7% today. A whopping 65% of India’s population has finished secondary education and would be eligible for higher education such as PG diplomas, MBAs and doctorates. However, only a quarter of the population actually enrols in such courses.
How are we fairing in per capita income? The answer is — not very great. India’s per capita net national income (at current prices) for 2022–23 stands at INR 172,000, according to estimates presented by NSO. This marks an almost 100% increase from the per capita income in 2014–15 — INR 86,647. However, Oxfam’s “Survival of the Richest” report published on the opening day of the 2023 World Economic Forum at Davos, the top one% in India owned more than 40.5% of total wealth in 2021 while the bottom 50% of the population (700 million) had only 3%. What’s disturbing is the fact that from the start of the pandemic to November 2022, Oxfam noted that billionaires in India witnessed a 121% growth in their wealth (INR 36.08 billion per day in real terms), as the number of impoverished Indians grew from 190 million to 350 million.
Water and sanitation is a basic necessity for a nation that wants to prosper. Also, it has a direct correlation with health. According to the latest figures about 11.49 crore households now have tap water connections and over 1.53 lakh villages have potable water supply but India has only 4% of the world’s fresh water resources despite a population of over 1.4 billion people. Approximately 200,000 people die in India each year due to the lack of access to safe drinking water.
World Bank estimates suggest that approximately 163 million Indians do not have access to safe drinking water. 210 million Indians do not have access to improved sanitation. 21% of communicable diseases are linked to unsafe water in India and diseases like Diarrhoea kills 500 children under the age of five every day in India. It is estimated that by 2030 the demand-supply gap of water will increase from 50% to 75%. According to a NITI Aayog report published in 2019, over 600 million people, or almost half of India’s population, face extreme water stress. Furthermore, 3/4th of India’s rural households do not have piped, potable water and depend on sources that pose serious health risks. According to the World Bank, only 28% of the wastewater generated in India is treated.
As per the Multiple Indicator Survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, over 21% of rural households in India do not have access to any type of toilet facility, including exclusive household latrines, communal facilities, or community toilets. This is despite Modi government’s massive drive under the Swacch Bharat scheme. According to the survey (same as above), 21.3% of rural households stated that the majority of their members had no access to a toilet — whether a latrine exclusively for the household, a common-use facility for the building, or a community toilet.
I talked about employment in the Hits section above. Let’s take a look at the unemployment status. The Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE) has made the most recent data on India’s unemployment available and there’s not a great news here. India’s unemployment rate was found to be 7.45% in February 2023. This is a basic extension in the India joblessness rate 2023 as it was 7.14% in January 2023. India’s youth unemployment rate has risen significantly as a result. Among states, Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in India, at 29.4%, while Chhattisgarh has the lowest, at 0.8%. From a 6% joblessness rate in 2017, India’s joblessness rate moved upwards.
Let’s move from basics to some advance areas now.
Research and development gives the necessary push to a nation’s stature as it provides the fire power to innovate, and drive growth. India seems to have missed the bus so far. India’s R&D spending accounts for roughly 0.7% per cent of its GDP. It is significantly lower than the global average of 1.8% and much less than that of the developed nations such as US (2.9%), China (2.2%) and Israel (4.9%). A NITI Aayog and Institute for Competitiveness study says that India’s R&D expenditure is among the lowest in the world. India has 366 R&D personnel per million population, compared to 1,366 in Brazil, 2,366 in China and 6,995 in Germany, according to a UNESCO report. The UNESCO Institute of Statistics reports that India has only 253 scientists or researchers per one million people, which is rather less than the numbers in the developed nations. The WIPO Global Innovation Index 2022 ranks India 40th out of 132 nations. It has improved significantly from the 81st position in 2015. In the UNCTAD Technology and Innovation Report 2023, India is ranked 46th out of 158 countries.
GRAVE CONCERNS
While we are talking about Independence Day, let me touch upon a very controversial topic. It may sound totally out of turn (also misplaced) however, this presents a grim scenario about this great nation. I am talking about the issue of Internet Shutdowns — an indirect curb imposed of people’s freedom of expression and access to information. Last year, governments in 35 countries shut down the internet at least 187 times. According to a recent report by the US digital rights advocacy group Access Now for the #KeepItOn coalition, India accounted for approximately 58% of all documented shutdowns globally. There were 84 shutdowns in India which are more than in any other country. Entitled “Weapons of control, shields of impunity: Internet shutdowns in 2022,” the report cited various reasons for Indian authorities’ decisions to close down the internet, including protests, elections, conflict and school exams.
An internet shutdown was imposed in the state of J&K on 4th August 2019, when Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated by the Parliament of India. Although it was a preventive shutdown imposed in the state. The beginning of the communication blockade saw the restriction of landlines as well as mobile services. The ban on landlines was lifted but suspension of mobile internet continued in the valley. In January 2020, 2G services were restored in the valley for verified users. Only whitelisted websites could be accessed and social media remains prohibited. The erstwhile state regained 4G connection on February 6th 2021 after 552 days of no to low internet. (See map)
Press freedom in India has been a controversial issue for long. Successive governments have made attempts to curb freedom of press, the so-called fourth pillar of democracy. Today, India is ranked 150 out of 180 countries when it comes to freedom of the press. This is based on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. India ranked 142 in both 2020 and 2021. Press freedom has gradually decreased in India. There has been a noticeable increase in violence against journalists. While we can take this with a grain of salt, the report stated India as “one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the media” due to “terrifying coordinated campaigns” of hate and murder on social media, targeting of women journalists, and “deadly reprisals by criminal groups or corrupt local officials”.
Farmer suicides is another big issue facing India, which is predominantly an agrarian economy. The National Crime Records Bureau of India reported that a total of 296,438 Indian farmers had died by suicide between 1995–2014. Out of these, 60,750 farmer suicides were in the state of Maharashtra since 1995 and the remaining in states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chattisgarh. In 2020, number of suicides by ‘persons engaged in farm sector accounted for nearly 7% of total suicides (1,53,052) in India. As many as 830 suicides by farmers have been reported in the state in the four-month span between January and April this year.
Crime against women is yet another big crisis that we aren’t able to tame yet. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, as many as 4,28,278 cases of crime against women were registered during 2021 — an increase of 15.3 per cent over 2020 (3,71,503 cases). The majority of cases of crimes against women under IPC were registered under “cruelty by husband or his relatives” (31.8 per cent) followed by “assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty” (20.8 per cent), “kidnapping and abduction of women” (17.6 per cent) and “rape” (7.4 per cent). The crime rate registered per lakh women population was 64.5 in 2021 in comparison with 56.5 in 2020, as per the NRCB data released last year. There was reportedly a 30% rise in total complaints received by the NCW from around 23,700 in 2021 to 30,800 cases in 2022. The National Commission for Women (NCW) reportedly received Over 6,500 complaints under the ‘protection of women against domestic violence’ in 2022.
Manual Scavenging is another grave issue we are still battling with, even after several attempts being made by both central and state governments. As recently as July 25 2023 responding to a question in Lok Sabha on, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, said nine such deaths were recorded in 2023, 66 in 2022, 58 in 2021, 22 in 2020, 117 in 2019, and 67 deaths in 2018. Manual scavenging is an outlawed practice under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (PEMSR) Act, 2013. The Act bans the use of any individual for manually cleaning, carrying, disposing of, or otherwise handling, in any manner, human excreta till its disposal.
ROAD AHEAD IS TOUGH; NOT IMPOSSIBLE THOUGH
My intention is not to present India in any bad light but to only highlight some of the Hits and Misses and also some grave concerns that the country faces today. The idea is to highlight achievements, and point out the areas where the country needs to work hard to improve its standing.
It is true that any young nation has to face a lot of headwinds and overcome many obstacles before it can become truly prosperous. India’s progress on many counts is remarkable however, there are areas of concern that need urgent redressal.
As we march forward to celebrate the 100th year of independence, we shall all hope to overcome these issues and strengthen India, its social fabric, its cultural values and economic growth.
As the first Prime Minister and the architect of post independence India Jawaharlal Nehru said, “evil unchecked grows, evil tolerated poisons the whole system,” we shall strive to check the evil and focus on the betterment of this great nation.
I wish all my fellow countrymen a Happy Independence Day! The era of India is here and now!
Jai Hind
NOTE: The views expressed here are my personal opinion and not that of any organization or group that I represent. This article has used several sources available on the internet. The data quoted in the article is taken from public domain.
