Introduction
The development in India started more than sixty years ago, as it gained its independence in 1947. The country was in a really poor condition, but today the improvement can be observed. Of course, the situation has not changed yet, as the population diversity is glaringly obvious. Still, the plans for the future are made and put into effect, so the fact that India is working to become industrialized cannot be denied.
The question of India being a developing country aroused because the people who are investigating different fields connected with this issue (such as economics, urban development, etc.) are not still able to come to the common conclusion. Some of them mention that the process of development in India is rapid, and it covers numerous spheres. Thus, they underline that the rush in cities tends to resemble European and American ones. Still, they mention that the traffic is rather high, which causes lots of accidents. Others pay more attention to health and education but also cannot make a distinct conclusion. Akhil Paul believes that physical infrastructure in India is likely to reach its top very soon, as the country is rather concerned about it.
Unfortunately, he also claims that the majority of public places are not accessible for disabled people, which extends the discrepancy among the population. The representative of the International Youth Council thinks that India has to implement a range of changes as a nation before it passes over the label of the developing country. However, the steps made to cope with corruption and care for the women’s safety cannot be denied (Is India still a developing country? 2014). Such discrepancy prevents firm conclusions regarding the issue and makes this topic arguable.
Of course, the improvements planned by the government require a lot of time for implementation, but the ambiguousness of the current situation in India makes many people question its status. On the one hand, they think that continuous development will not come to an end soon. Moreover, it just starts working. On the other hand, they underline India’s achievements and plans for future changes. Thus, we can say that India has some drawbacks that are to be improved, but it is working hard on its way to development. It is not going to stop before reaching this goal because the greatest problems such as imparity among the population and corruption, etc. are taken into consideration and solving.
Failures of the Project
There are several reasons to question the claim that India is developing. Jayati Ghosh, professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, says that the process of development in India has just started, and it will not be completed soon.
The first objection to India’s development is the fact that it is a poor country. Jayati Ghosh, claims that it faces “widespread hunger and very poor nutrition indicators” (Is India still a developing country? 2014, para. 7). He points out that many people lack basic needs. They do not have decent places to live. Many do not have electricity and other conveniences.
The second reason is that due to the problems with employment, the project of development does not meet the expectations and entails a range of other failures. When people are talking about development, they often relate it to the creation of new jobs, which is more likely to improve the income and population of the country. However, things differ in India. Agriculture laborers occupy almost 60% of the workers from rural areas, and more than half of them are self-employed. Thus, it is not surprising that they are poor and have poor living conditions (Shankar, Gaiha & Jha 2011).
The third reason is the poor state of health. Raka Choudhury underlines that because of the rise of urbanization, “134,000 people died in traffic crashes in 2010…; as many as four times this number were injured” (Is India still a developing country? 2014, para. 4). These people need sufficient care, but only a few of them actually gain it. Moreover, India “accounts for about 60 percent of the world population without toilets, with human excrement that goes into a field polluting groundwater, crops and waterways” (Khuroo & Khuroo 2015, p. 44). Such pollution causes severe diseases and even leads to death.
Thus, the development in India can hardly be observed due to the numerous drawbacks.
Enhancing Conditions
Even though many people believe that the development project maintained by India does not meet the expectations, the situation is not so bad. According to the Citi Investment Research and Analysis, India is likely to become the “third-largest economy” till 2020 (Elliott 2009). The structure of economic growth alters to meet the needs of a current situation. Due to it, people also gain the opportunity to get better educated and trained. The anti-inflationary policy was adopted to cope with the issue. The country is said to invest a huge amount of money in its infrastructure and to benefit by dint of international trade.
Familiar ideas also have the Asian Development Bank. It is believed that India’s growth rate will soon exceed China’s. The Chief Economist claims that “the government’s pro-investment attitude, improvements in the fiscal and current account deficits, and some forward movement on resolving structural bottlenecks have helped improve the business climate and make India attractive again to both domestic and foreign investors” (Shankar 2015). The gross domestic product is thought to increase by more than 8%, which will surely benefit the country. Of course, the government should not be satisfied with what has already been achieved. Urbanization is to move forward for the industries to gain profit for India.
During the last several years, new roads and highways were made. Needless to say that they show the progress the country is managing. The roads do not just improve the visual state. Their primary goal is to reduce the number of accidents. As the country is developing, the infrastructure also alters. Many people become occupied in business, and they need to work more and to conduct numerous actions every day. To do everything in time, they move faster than usual, which increases the pressure of traffic. Kamal Nath, the Road Transport and Highways Minister, outlined “a 12,500-mile (20,000 km) highway-construction program that will require India to build 121/2 miles (20 km) of new roads a day — and that is only a part of a gobsmacking infrastructure program that will include more power generation, more air- and seaports, more irrigation projects” (Elliot 2009). He also pointed out that there will be a great improvement in health and education throughout the whole country. Moreover, the government is interested in enhancing living standards for poor people. It is considered that positive changes of this kind were lastly seen in China, and now India is following its steps.
Thus, the issues that are still familiar to the population of India will be solved soon. The government is determined to achieve the mentioned goals and has already planned the activities.
Rapid Development
The fact that the severe drawbacks accounted by India are not solving and reject the process of development can be refuted.
The country is said to be poor, but it faces economic growth. The image of India has greatly improved from the perspective of global marketing. Today it gains a lot of investments from abroad. It is also reducing corruption within the country. People who hid their income abroad illegally are going to face the punishment according to the law. New businesses are encouraged and supplied with the loans by Mudra Bank (India on the fast track of development 2015). The problems with undernutrition are going to be solved with the help of farmers. They will be provided with the needed power by dint of the new program (India on the fast track of development 2015). Thus, the farmers will be able to supply the population with food. Of course, the government is not able to cope with rains and hailstorms, but it is ready to support them and assist.
The fact that India has problems with employment is also doubtful. With the help of the loans provided by Mudra Bank, new companies will create more vacancies and supply the citizens with official job positions and regular income. A number of programs aimed at the creation of jobs for youth are managed, for example, Make in India and Skill India (India on the fast track of development 2015). The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is undertaken to enhance “the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work, at the minimum wage, on-demand, within 15 days of asking for employment” (Shankar, Gaiha & Jha 2011, p. 70).
Heals issues faced by the population of India also are dealt with. The Prime Minister states that soon “every family should have 24-hour electricity, clean drinking water, toilets, roads, and internet connectivity so that the quality of life improves in villages” (India on the fast track of development 2015, para. 6). Hygienic conditions will also be enhanced. Clean India and Namami Gange program targets the creation of toilets and keeping the rivers clean. Such programs will not only enhance the living conditions by reducing the number of incidents but also reduce pollution. Thus, they will cause the improvement of health conditions.
Conclusion
Taking everything mentioned into consideration, it can be concluded that the development in India is not yet coming to an end, but lots have already been done. By dint of economic growth, the country is able to afford business encouragement. Thus, new working places occur, and more individuals gain official jobs, which affects their income in a positive way. They can have better education and healthcare. Sanitation issues are being solved, as they often cause serious health problems. The government targets making the country not only clean but also save, so the road infrastructure is being improved. India gains investments that assist it in becoming better and improving the conditions for the general public. India is likely to improve its condition greatly by 2020, and soon it will become a developed country.
Reference List
Elliott, M. 2009, ‘The India model’, Time International, vol. 174, no. 20, pp. 64-70.
India on fast track of development 2015. Web.
Is India still a developing country? 2014. Web.
Khuroo, M. & Khuroo, M. 2015, ‘Sanitation and sewage disposal in India’, JK- Practitioner, vol. 20, no. 1-2, pp. 43-46.
Shankar, B. 2015, India to grow faster than China in 2015-16. Web.
Shankar, S., Gaiha, R. & Jha, K. 2011, ‘Information, access and targeting: the national rural employment guarantee scheme in India’, Oxford Development Studies, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 69-95.