An increase in the technological application is necessitating the need for further exploration of the world. Nations are focusing on creating a better future by exploring other worlds to understand their own. This has driven the second space race between China and India, each country desiring to be ahead of the other. The case has not been easy for India, which has dedicated enormous resources to venture into a race with China. The case is similar to that of the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1990s. It is time for India to cease investing their money in the space race for a while and begin investing in other sectors of the economy. This may include infrastructural construction and the provision of better services to the people. Currently, the country’s rupee is flaky to operate in (Mumbai, 2013). The flakiness remains an indication of the high inflation facing the country.
India needs to consider other factors driving its economy. According to Udas (2014), in this year’s general election with more than 788 million people estimated to partake, voters will focus on five key sectors; cases of corruption in the country, the youth and availability of employment opportunities, religious violence, and the rising cases of inflation will be significant. Lastly, people will be keen on considering the rise of states and regional parties. The leaders should consider investments to ensure the peaceful coexistence of people due to the lack of basic resources demanded by the population. This will safeguard the economy from declining further because of violence due to unethical resource competition.
India GDP figures released in August for the quarter to June revealed a negative growth in the country’s economy. The industrial condition in the country is terrible. The country’s income is being lost to government officials and politicians who are engaging in corrupt activities. These people are enhancing government red tapes that are derailing the economy. The leaders’ wealth is being invested in neighboring countries. This is highly affecting the economic maturity of the country. Advancing the country from a developing to a developed one will require a huge investment in government institutions mandated with the responsibility of regulating the country’s economic growth. Investing in the space project is necessary but untimely. This can allude to a case where a person attempts to climb a ladder from the top. The country’s expenditure, talent, and zeal should be invested in other developmental projects (Hume, 2013). India should consider investing the $73 million approximated for the project in other sectors of the economy (Magnier, 2013). This will ensure supporting the sustainability of the country, rather than neglecting the people to languish in poverty.
The economy of India has dropped, and the currency wobbled (Einhorn, 2013). This has been a challenge for the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The state opposition leader Narendra Modi has been taking advantage of the situation politically. He is currently the favorite of the people and is likely to replace Singh. The replacement is likely to take place in the first nationwide election, in the first half of 2014. This situation dictates the need for the government to concentrate further on other significant sectors of the economy to ensure the growth and stability of the currency. The country has had success with the launching of a Mars Orbiter, which positions the country at the farthest aim. The rising race is highly criticized, especially from the fact that the economies investing their precious resource in space exploration are still developing. The countries, especially India, are facing adverse poverty back home. For instance, when India announced about sending a rocket to Mars, people were expectant. The same week, the announcement was met by the worst-ever power cut. This means that the country is still lagging behind its investment in infrastructure, thus the need to rethink this issue (Hayes, 2013).
There is no need for a country to live beyond its means by exploring the space, yet back at home, people are suffering. Jean Dreze, a Belgian economist, argues that there is no point in the Mars mission when half of the children in India are undernourished (Hayes, 2013). He insists that half of the people of India lack decent sanitation. The whole process seems to be an exploitation of the Indian people for superpower status that might not benefit the people at all in the end. The country should focus on providing people with a pleasurable working environment. This will increase their productivity and cooperation as the space race. As things stand now, the majority of people in India are not supporting the move, especially the middle and lower classes, which are left on the suffering end. The development is causing them more harm than benefit. A former head of ISRO, Dr. G Madhavan Nair, also criticizes the move saying it is half-baked, very expensive for the economy, and poorly conceived (Hume, 2013).
Despite the effort by India to ensure the country remains ahead in space exploration, there is a need to challenge the leaders. The leaders should be challenged on the survival of humanity if basic resources remain sacrificed to benefit future generations. This case argues against the view suggested by the lead scientist on the Mars mission in India. The scientist Jitendra Goswami, when confronted by the BBC reporter concerning the move despite the poverty level, said that the move would inspire different groups in the country to engage in innovative activities better than the current. The same will boost the morale of the children in the future when they look in the sky and catch a glimpse of the red glimmer of Mars and realize their country has been there (Hayes, 2013). The question remains how the children will have other activities to exploit when they do not have basic learning institutions to attend. Their sanitation is poor, and poverty levels cannot allow them an opportunity to learn well. They remain at the mercy of the government who is concerned with other sectors not directly relevant to them now.
Exploiting Space indeed broadens the horizons of the children in the country. The same inspires people to solve problems and look beyond the earthbound concerns. The project remains untimely when the child is denied the basic needs to survive. The future is to ensure consistency of innovations made. To propel India to its rightful place there is a need for fulfillment of social, political, and economic goals in the context of a rapid and modernizing society. This will ensure the relevance of the communist ideology and acceptance by the whole population. As a result, the country will experience a robust space program that will be supported and followed without a critical eye by all the nationals and international communities. It, therefore, calls for the country to consider reviewing its priorities to ensure they are well ordered.
References
Einhorn, B. (2013). India and China Move Ahead in the Asian Space Race.
Hayes, P. (2013). 2013: The space race goes East.
Hume, T. (2013). Is India’s Mars mission the latest escalation in Asia’s space race?
Magnier, M. (2013). India set to launch Mars mission, provoking criticism over cost.
Mumbai, P. (2013). A five-star Problem.
Udas, S. (2014). India elections 2014: A look forward.