“Eleven Hints for Life”

1. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return.
But what is more painful is to love someone and never
find the courage to let that person know how you feel.

2. A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who
means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was
never meant to be and you just have to let go.

3. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a
porch swing with, never say a word, and then walk away
feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

4. It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose
it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been
missing until it arrives.

5. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an
hour to like someone, and a day to love someone-but it
takes a lifetime to forget someone.

6. Don’t go for looks, they can deceive. Don’t go for wealth,
even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you
smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day
seem bright.

7. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go,
be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and
one chance to do all the things you want to do.

8. Always put yourself in the other’s shoes. If you feel that it
hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

9. A careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word may wreck
a life. A timely word may level stress. But a loving word may
heal and bless.

10. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best
of everything they just make the most of everything that comes
along their way.

11. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with
a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone
around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die,
you’re the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

“Eleven Hints for Life”

THE PROBLEMS OF STREET CHILDREN

Many of the street children who have run away from home have done so because they were beaten or sexually abused. Tragically, their homelessness can lead to further abuse through exploitative child labour and prostitution.

Not only does abuse rob runaway children of their material security, it also leaves them emotionally scarred. Many of the abused children I-India encounters are traumatised and some refuse to speak for months. To aggravate matters, children often feel guilty and blame themselves for their mistreatment. Such damage can take years to recover from in even the most loving of environments; on the streets it may never heal.

A large proportion of the boys and girls in I-India’s homes have suffered abuse. In addition to fulfilling their material needs, we seek to provide a warm and caring atmosphere. Our vocational centres are also a safe, fun places where children gain confidence and self-esteem. We run a help line for children in need, and our staff are trained by professional counselors as well as have years of experience on how to foster the children’s emotional development.

Child Labour:

Most Indian street children work. In Jaipur, a common job is rag-picking, in which boys and girls as young as 6 years old sift through garbage in order to collect recyclable material. The children usually rise before dawn and carry their heavy load in a large bag over their shoulder. Rag-pickers can be seen alongside pigs and dogs searching through trash heaps on their hands and knees.

Other common jobs are collecting firewood, tending to animals, street vending, dyeing cloth, begging, prostitution and domestic labour.

Children that work are not only subject to the strains and hazards of their labour, they are also denied the education or training that could enable them to escape the poverty trap.

I-India provides non-formal street schools to ensure that working children get at least a basic education. We nurture community support for our schools and seek to mainstream suitable children into the private education system. We also provide popular and practical vocational training where older children can learn skills while also earning some money.

Gender Discrimination:

In Indian Society females are often discriminated against. Their health, education, prosperity and freedom are all impacted. The problem is worse in conservative Rajasthan than almost anywhere else in India.

For example, because girls carry the liability of dowry and leave the family home after marriage, parents may prefer to have male offspring. Many female babies are aborted, abandoned or deliberately neglected and underfed simply because they are girls. This can be seen in the fact that the female mortality rate amongst 0-4 year olds in India is 106% of the male mortality rate, whereas the comparable number in Western Europe is 74%. The rate is 119% in Rajasthan. Further evidence of the imbalance is that the female/male ratio within the general population of India is unnaturally low at 927/1000, and even lower in Rajasthan at 909/1000.

Gender discrimination is particularly evident in education where boys are more likely to attend school and to do so for more years. The traditional place of the woman is in the home and many parents and children consider education for girls to be a waste of time, especially when the child can instead be working or performing domestic chores. The gender parity of adult literacy between men and women is 29%.

Child Marriage is another way in which girls are disadvantaged. In addition to limiting educational possibilities and stunting personal development, early marriage carries health risks. A girl under 15 is five times more likely to die during pregnancy than a woman in her twenties; her child is also more likely to die.

I-India emphasizes care and opportunity for girls. There are more girls than boys in our street schools, vocational centres and homes. We also employ many women and do so at all levels up to the founder, Abha Goswami, herself.

Health:

Poor health is a chronic problem for street children. Half of all children in India are malnourished, but for street children the proportion is much higher. These children are not only underweight, but their growth has often been stunted; for example, it is very common to mistake a 12 year old for an 8 year old.

Street children live and work amidst trash, animals and open sewers. Not only are they exposed and susceptible to disease, they are also unlikely to be vaccinated or receive medical treatment. Only two in three Indian children have been vaccinated against TB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio and Measles; only one in ten against Hepatitis B. Most street children have not been vaccinated at all. They usually cannot afford, and do not trust, doctors or medicines. If they receive any treatment at all it will often be harmful, as with kids whose parents place scalding metal on their bellies as a remedy for persistent stomach pain. 

Child labourers suffer from exhaustion, injury, exposure to dangerous chemicals, plus muscle and bone afflictions.

Child labourers suffer from exhaustion, injury, exposure to dangerous chemicals, plus muscle and bone afflictions.

I-India provides nutrition, medical treatment, hygiene and reproductive health education to 5000 children yearly in our street schools and homes. We also operate a Shower Bus that regularly visits street points and offers on-the-spot showers and cleansing products. We employ several full-time nurses and have relationships with hospitals that are willing to treat our children for free.

Homelessness:

Street children in India may be homeless because their family is homeless through poverty or migration, or because they have been abandoned, orphaned or have run away. It is not unusual to see whole families living on the sidewalks of Jaipur, or rows of individual children sleeping around the railway station.

Homeless children have the odds stacked against them. They are exposed to the elements, have an uncertain supply of food, are likely to miss out on education and medical treatment, and are at high risk of suffering addiction, abuse and illness. A single child alone on the streets is especially vulnerable.

I-India prioritizes homeless street children. For them we provide: repatriation to their families, temporary and permanent shelter, street schools, vocational training, nutrition, medical treatment, shower facilities, and a help line.

Poverty:

Poverty is the primary cause of the street children crisis. Poverty dumps a crowd of problems onto a child. Not only do these problems cause immediate suffering, they also conspire to keep the child poor throughout his/her life. In order to survive, a poor child in India will probably be forced to sacrifice education and training; without skills the child will, as an adult, remain at the bottom of the economic heap.

The root causes of poverty are beyond a single NGO’s power to change, but I-India believes in helping where it can. Street schools provide some education, as does mainstreaming of children into government schools and offering scholarships to private schools. Vocational training centres are a pragmatic, but powerful, tool to assist children in escaping the poverty trap. Children at these centres learn skills such as jewellery-making and tailoring which can prove more valuable to them than additional formal schooling. The money children earn at the centres alleviates some of their poverty, and encourages the child and his/her parents to choose vocational training over child labour. I-India has also been active in promoting Child Rights.

India Education Problem

Today Indian education is suffering from many problems. There are many and many school, collage, university in India likes IIMs, IITs, AIIM and Many other university, collage and institute where science, medical, business, computer, engineering, media etc and a lot of carrier builder offered in India although there is a big education problem is that many of students could not get a higher education in case of money problem. There is a huge student population in India so many students could not appear in the collage/university after passing the entrance EXAM because there is seat limit in higher education collage and a high fee structure. And more and more student in India belongs to middle class family.      

Indian Education Census Data 2011

		Persons	Males	Females
Total	No. of literates	560,687,797	336,533,716	224,154,081
	Literacy rate	64.8%	75.3%	53.7%
Rural	No. of literates	361,870,817	223,551,641	138,319,176
	Literacy rate	58.7%	70.7%	46.1%
Urban	No. of literates	198,816,980	112,982,075	85,834,905
	Literacy rate	79.9%	86.3%	72.9%

 

• In this in India more than 500 thousands Para teacher are available in the number of state. This is done by government to improve the quality of education. The government supplied free study material , free vehicle , free uniform and many thing for a general student but it is found that the teacher is absent, only a few teacher for a no of student, teacher are not well educated.
• In India there are more than 100 crore people but only a third part of them are able to read. In case of other nation Indian education is falling behind. This is a country where maximum people are in a economical and social problem due this reason the Indian education program is continuing under fall. the education system of rural area is too poor .both the children and the teacher’s attribute also effectiveness. Many student of rural area receive a poor education and more of them leave the school before the 5th standard. The girl of the rural area is not get education due to parent’s plane. The parent of rural thoughts about the girl that she is not for education she is for only house wife. There is a sixty percent of female in rural area of India is not educated while in other country not this problem.
• Found the decent quality of education in the rich and upper middle family also. Because the parent sent their children in private school where only passing the exam is take priority not well learning criteria.
• After graduation many of students are unable to study regular courses due to not available more collages, university or unable to fulfill the fee structure. And even a graduation degree is not employable in India.
• Most of students are not got education in private school because all of the private school is made a compulsory fee structure till 12th standard and the children which is Bourne in poor family is decided to admit in government school where he/she not get a true education.

Rather than Indians doctor, engineer, manager, are around the world and serve the world. The Indian scientists are found around the world and remember able for their effort and victory

Dear Student / Fresh Job Aspirant,

We know , why millions of Fresh job seekers are struggling to get a job. It is not due to unavailability of employment but due to mismatch of interest between People who are looking for employees and people who are looking for Job              This Page highlights  the 12 Problems of a Fresh Job Seeker and how Feacher India Solves those Challenges, also in Second table below you will find 5 Main ingredients required to acquire a ‘Good Job’ and how Feacher India touches those area and Makes you ready to take off….

 

Feacher India

Experiencing Freshers

Sl No	12 Problems of Freshers	Why	Affect	Our Solution
1	Confidence	Can be due to rural background, Language barrier, No exposed to multiple cultures	Try to be at the background, unable to present skills, Job market is deprived of such talents, they have good abilities	Simulated work environment given, Attends to multiple people and culture, Conference calls make them participative step by step with out your real knowledge of improving skills.
2	Salary	Not know as they do not know many how is already working, worried on cost of living, doubtful of survival on entry Salaries	Never try to make friends, Some are bit careless due to immaturity, Left out of the opportunities initially, then opportunities dry out	Interactions with working population, Chance to talk to experts, continuous guidance even after the programme is complete
3	Job knowledge	Education system is stuck  more in theory, only 10% less practical but on production function only	World is changed, service sector generating huge Jobs, Support functions to production is equally important	Work in at least 10 different departments, gain job experience, reporting, exposure to support functions like purchasing and logistics etc.
4	Network	No known people in industry, dependant on teachers, never aware of the importance	Job related information do not flow in to aspiring candidates, no guidance, pros and cons of a profession	Exposure to too many friends who are looking for job as well as introduction to a lot of working people in the industry, guidance on power of internet.
5	Interview Knowledge	No known people in industry, dependant on teachers, never aware of the importance	less confidant, wastes initial opportunities to learn, then opportunities dries out, only the smartest gets job, others get de motivated	Already worked in a industry ( HANDSON IND-EX), Confidant, advanced communication skills gained. Since you have experience it is easy to understand what the interviewer is expecting
6	Communication	Can be due to rural background, Language barrier, No exposed to multiple cultures	Try to be at the background, unable to present skills, Job market is deprived of such talents, they have good abilities	Real work experience helps, communicated through verbal and written means during our programme. Fear is over come
7	information availability	Lack of guidance, Never tried earlier, Power of internet is not known	Market and job information never come to job seeker	Provided access to our face book page,Blog,Feacher India Network
8	Resume	Dependant on Teachers, some old formats, No practical guidance available	Resume is not highlighted among the lot, Short listing possibility reduces	Gets comprehensive resume writing guide, Also Can be got it done by professionals.
9	Where	Lack of knowledge on industrial Geography, Stuck to home town	Looser on long run, will remain in the world of lesser opportunities, Whole of the other world moving faster, others left behind	Clear guidance, Knowledge sharing, speak to experts
10	Skill set knowledge	Education system is stuck  more in theory, only 10% less practical but on production function only	Difficulty to get in to working stream.	Real work experience given, Indentify if nay particular needs, Work experience in 10+ department will help to choose a suitable profession.
11	Accommodation	Do not have knowledge on availability	Stay at home and never explore opportunities	Guidance and tips given by Feacher India
12	other	NA	NA	Understand and we can help to find a solution ,case to case basis.

Sl. No	5 Ingredients of Good Job	Why	Affect	Our Solution
1	Work Experience	For getting the Job experience is asked, with out getting a job experience is not gained	Only few people get the Job, others keep searching for their first Job	Work in HANDSON IND-EX Experience, Gain your work experience and fit yourself in any where.
2	Interview	Never got a chance, No guidance form real working Managers. Dependant on college or teachers	Initial opportunities used as a training on interview skills, then the opportunities stop coming Job seekers way	Get good guidance, Hand on experience helps, Chance to get interviewed by working managers to gain first hand experience on interview
3	Resume	Dependant on Teachers, some old formats, No practical guidance available	Resume is not highlighted among the lot, Short listing possibility reduces	Gets comprehensive resume writing guide, Also Can be got it done by professionals.
4	Network	No known people in industry, dependant on teachers, never aware of the importance	Job related information do not flow in to aspiring candidates, no guidance, pros and cons of a profession	Exposure to too many friends who are looking for job as well as introduction to a lot of working people in the industry, guidance on power of internet.
5	AcademicQualification	NA	NA	You have it already

The Great Pretender–India’s Economic Past and Future: Part 3, Political Atrophy

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, optimists hoped that the BRIC (Brazil Russia India China) would drive the global economic engine. But China’s economic growth has slowed to its lowest rate in three years. Brazil’s economic growth has fallen from around 7.5% to under 3%.  Russia’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and energy prices. India also has stalled. This 3-part paper looks at the development and future trajectory of the “I” in the “BRIC”. The third part looks at the India’s inability to confront its current problems.

India’s growth has slowed to around 6%, high by the standards of developed countries but well below the levels required to maintain economic momentum and improve the living standards of its citizens. The demographics of a youthful population, the large domestic demand base and the high savings rate all remain positive. But increasingly, corruption and political atrophy threaten to overwhelm its future prospects.

Corruption Capital …

Petty corruption by poorly paid local officials has been common in India for decades. The real problem is a deep-seated and endemic corruption on a large scale, highlighted by scandals surrounding the issue of telecommunication licenses and also sales of coal assets.

A 9-month investigation by the auditor and Central Bureau of Investigation found that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology sold licences for the use of spectrum for mobile telephony bandwidth at below market prices to telecoms companies in 2008. The report found that 85 of the 122 licenses were granted to companies that “suppressed facts, disclosed incomplete information and submitted fictitious documents.” The sale cost the Indian government and citizens lost revenues of around US$39 billion.

More recently, a draft report by the auditor accused the government of selling coal assets to major Indian industrial corporations at below market prices, resulting in a loss of (up to) $210 billion in lost revenues. There are even accusations of manipulation of the auction of licenses in the new Indian Premier league, a T20 cricket competition.

Commentators now compare some Indian businessmen to 19th-century American robber-barons.

Using corrupt means to access power and acquire influence over politicians, businesses have advanced their interest in several areas.  They have secured rich natural resources, especially land and minerals. They have ensured a favourable regulatory framework and restricted competition, especially foreign competition, where possible. The unauthorised biography of Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of the Reliance Empire now split between his sons, euphemistically notes his skill at “managing the environment”.

The problem involves both businesses and politicians. Historian Ramachandra Guha tells the story of a burglary of a prominent Indian Politician which only yielded the miscreant a gold sovereign and Rupees 800 (about US$ 20). Today, the haul might be better.

The retired head of India’s anti-corruption watchdog stated that as much as 30% of his compatriots were corrupt. Favours, bribes and even shares of business are now commonly demanded in return for assistance in securing contracts.

A 2009 Newsweek article The House in Ill Repute recorded the history of some members of the Indian Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament. Under new laws pushed through by a group of college professors after years of fierce resistance from dozens of political parties, candidates for the Lok Sabha were required to disclose their assets and criminal records. The disclosures recorded that 128 of the 543 winners had faced criminal charges, including 84 cases of murder, 17 cases of robbery and 28 cases of theft and extortion. One member faced 17 separate murder charges. As Indian law only bars convicted criminals but not alleged criminals from running for or holding office, even convicted criminals can continue to hold political office pending the hearing of appeals, a process that can take up to 25 years in India.

Insecure India …

India’s economic challenges are compounded by internal and external insecurity.

In the title of his 1990 book A Million Mutinies, writer V.S. Naipaul pithily captured India’s internal political disputes. Today, about a third to a half of India is affected by the Naxalites, a violent Maoist insurgency which has been active for over the 50 years. Active in remote forested areas which are coincidentally rich in mineral resources, the movement has prevented development and also tied up substantial government resources.

More peaceful separatist movements abound in many parts of India, with ethnically distinct groups seeking their own separate State. Over the last 30 years, many Indian states have been sub-divided to accommodate these movements at great national expense.

The threat of religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims is ever present. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, frequently touted as a candidate for future Prime Minister, is unwelcome in many countries that refuse to grant him a visa because of his alleged involvement in sectarian violence.

Ongoing border disputes with Pakistan and China and the instability of AfPak (Afghanistan and Pakistan) dictates large defence expenditure. This is compounded by regional competition with China for influence requiring the capability to project military power into the Indian Ocean and also South East Asia.

In 2012, Indian defence spending is forecast to be US$41 billion, around 1.9% of GDP or the 9^th highest in the world. Financing this spending diverts resources away from other parts of the economy.

Political Atrophy…

Political paralysis is a major impediment to economic development. Successive governments of every political persuasion have failed to undertake meaningful reforms, necessary to foster growth, employment and development.

Required changes in land and property laws have not been made. Problems in acquiring land are a factor in 70% of delayed infrastructure projects. The land acquisition process under a 19^th century law requires changes, which remain unlegislated almost 3 years after amendments were proposed.

Reform of tax laws, including introduction of a direct sales tax correcting cumbersome difference between individual states, have not been completed. Changes to mining and mineral development regulations to allow proper, environmentally controlled exploitation of India’s mineral wealth have not been made.

Other crucial areas remains unaddressed – rationalising unwieldy and economically distorted subsidies, implementing economic pricing of utilities, promoting foreign investment in key sectors or reforming agriculture, especially the wasteful and inefficient logistics system for transporting produce to market. Reform of labour markets and privatisation of key sectors has not been progressed.

Dealing with corruption and reforming government process for the grant of licenses or property rights also remains incomplete.

India’s political system is an obstacle to change. Complex coalition governments are a barrier to decisive action. The current government failed to implement its plans to allow limited entry of foreign retailers as a result of protests from its own coalition partners as well as the opposition. The government also failed to get a key anti-corruption bill through parliament.

The current governing Congress led coalition and the BJP led opposition is weak, both crippled by corruption scandals. All parties are dominated by political monarchies (such as the Nehru-Ghandi dynasty) or by geriatric politicians who cannot or will not embrace change.

India’s fabled democracy is an increasingly ossified domain, where a complete inability to make hard decisions or undertake reforms makes government futile if profitable for some.

The Great Pretender…

In good times, Indian economic weaknesses were covered by moments of positive actions and good luck. But the economy faces increasingly difficult times ahead as the luck has run out.

Indian disappointing response to the challenges is to disavow the problem or to look for short cuts. The overall tendency is for “spin”, ignoring the fundamental failures. The country seems unable to face the truth and undertake fundamental long term changes.

In the 1980s, Indian sociologist Ashis Nandy observed that “in India the choice could never be between chaos and stability, but between manageable and unmanageable chaos”. The observation is relevant today as India deteriorates through its failure to carry through crucial reforms exacerbated by corruption.

Without urgent changes, India may never be able to live up to its promise, remaining always the Great Pretender.

Problems of the Rural Poor in India – Future Perspective

Abstract

The burden of indebtedness in rural India is great, and falls mainly on the households of rural working people. The exploitation of this group in the credit market is one of the most pervasive and persistent features of rural life in India, and despite major structural changes in credit institutions and forms of rural credit in the post-Independence period, Darling’s statement (1925), that “the Indian peasant is born in debt, lives in debt and bequeaths debt,” still remains true for the great majority of working households in the countryside. Rural households need credit for a variety of reasons. They need it to meet short-term requirements for working capital and for long-term investment in agriculture and other income-bearing activities. Agricultural and non-agricultural activity in rural areas are typically seasonal, and households need credit to smooth out seasonal fluctuations in earnings and expenditure. Rural households, particularly those vulnerable to what appear to others to be minor shocks with respect to income and expenditure, need credit as an insurance against risk. In a society that has no free, compulsory and universal education or health care, and very few general social security programmes, rural households need credit for different types of consumption. These include expenditure on food, housing, health and education. In the Indian context, another important purpose of borrowing is to meet expenses for a variety of social obligations and rituals.

Introduction

About 75% of the Indian population lives in rural areas and about 80% of this population is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Agriculture accounts for about 37% of the national income. The development of the rural areas and of agriculture and its allied activities thus becomes vital for the rapid development of the economy as a whole.In this regard, India has succeeded in developing one of the largest rural banking systems in the world. Various regulatory measures have been taken enabling the banking system to play an important role in the economic development of the rural areas. The two most prominent measures are rural commercial bank branch expansion, thus moving from class banking to mass banking and secondly, priority sector lending and the formulation of specific development programmes and action plans to facilitate credit flow to the rural sectors. Despite these measures, as per the Debt and Investment Survey, Govt. of India (1992) about 36% of the rural households are found to be outside the fold of institutional credit.

Agricultural Productivity

Even though India occupies the first or second position in the world in several crops in terms of area and production, it’s rank in terms of productivity per hectare in the world is 52 for rice, 38 for wheat and much low in several other crops. The productivity of some crops is not only low but also remained stagnant over the years. The yield gap needs to be bridged through an integrated package of technology and agricultural policies to reap the untapped production potential, particularly, in rain-fed and other low productivity areas.

Causes for Backwardness in Villages

1. Zamindari System, the legacy of the British Rule
India was under British rule for 200 years. British policies were aimed in revenue collection and not rural development. They introduced the zamindari system. The zamindars were deemed the owners of all land and they collected as much revenue as they could from the peasants. The system left the peasants very poor and the zamindars did very little to improve the conditions of the villages. After the country attained independence this system was abolished, but the conditions of the peasants is yet to transform completely.

2. The Bonded Labour System 
It is equivalent to near slavery. Bonded labour is an indebted agricultural worker, who had borrowed from the money lender at usurious rate of interest and had to work in his farm for low wages. The system was used to permanently enslave the worker, as the worker was only able to repay a part of interest and the loan with compounded residual interest went on swelling. The agricultural labour can free himself eventually only by giving his son in bondage as a substitute. Under the 20-point economic programme, the Government India under Prime Minister Mrs.Indira Gandhi abolished bonded labour system and brought legislation to this effect in 1975. Despite the legislation the system is known to persist here and there in select areas.

3. Other contributory reasons are the total lack of agricultural development under foreign rule, poor communication, roads and other infrastructure development in villages, lack of education and health facilities, and the destruction of the thriving Indian cottage industries on account of competition from the cheap machine made goods imported under British rule

Progress made after the Country attained Independence 

1. After Independence the Country adopted planned development. The very first five year plan laid stress on agricultural development. It took a number of measures to bring more land under irrigation. Major irrigation Dams like Bakra Nangal, Hirakud, Nagarjunasagar, Tungabhadra were constructed which generated power for industrialisation of the country and water for irrigation. A number canals were build to distribute stored water over an extensive area. The Indian farmer, as a result, is now not exclusive depending on the monsoon.

2. Intensive cultivation of land is made possible through farm mechanisation. Tractors are being produced in the country and these are available to the farmers everywhere. Farmers are also using threshing machines, deep boring and irrigation pumps. They get supplies of high yielding improved seeds, fertilisers and other inputs. To enable them to purchase such inputs the rural credit system has been invigorated with Cooperatives, Regional Rural Banks, and Rural Branches of Commercial Banks. The recent boon to the poor Indian peasant is the micro finance system and Self Help Groups that have rendered financial support within the easy reach of all.

3. Land Reform legislation introduced in the country after independence include the abolition of the zamindari system, the abolition of bonded labour system, land ceiling legislation etc.. Legislation was also introduced to relieve rural indebtedness and the money lender could no longer legally collect more than reasonable interest. Untouchability was abolished and special legislation for the upliftment of scheduled cases and scheduled tribes were enacted.

4. Community Development Programmes, Integrated Rural Development Programme, bringing local self-government to the roots of the village through introduction of panchayat raj system ushered a new era of rural development. Development of public health care system, schemes undertaken for promoting literacy and adult education in the country, programmes for development of rural industries are other development programmes that have received the thrust of the Government’s development approach.

Future Perspectives

Agriculture, with its large dependent population has to thrive and flourish, in order to secure rural prosperity. To ensure orderly and vigorous growth of agriculture policy and structural issues need to be addressed quickly. Some of the important issues that need to be addressed are –

1. Improving profitability of agriculture, through yield improvements, diversification and reform of agricultural marketing. 

2. Strengthening backward linkages and expanding irrigation coverage. 

3. Providing forward linkages especially for post harvest management, processing, transport, storage and market infrastructure. 

4. Securing a stable long term policy on agricultural commodities trade, including the role of private sector.

5. Encouraging emergence of a market mechanism for agricultural commodities such as a commodities exchange. 

6. Streamlining the cooperative credit structure for facilitating hassle free flow of credit. 

7. Implementing watershed development projects in the rain-fed and dry-land areas.

Rural banking faces twin challenges

Banking in rural India is faced with the twin challenges of regulation and distribution. Regulation with respect to banking has been designed for delivery in urban India and distribution required more manpower to be deployed in rural areas. Initiatives like cheque transaction — where the electronic image and not the actual cheque is sent — have in mind the urban customer, he said. “About 500-600 million people in India still do not have bank accounts. For the rural segment, one needs to design no-frills products and deliver hard core value”.The other handicap was that while Rs 1-crore business in microfinance required 30 people in terms of manpower, the same volume of business in other portfolios required only one person. Also, contract farming and supply chain integration has not gone the way they should have. Power, telecommunications, banking and transportation had reduced the urban-rural divide, he said. Besides traditional banking services, people in the rural and semi-urban areas are expressing interest in liability and investment products. He said, “Rural India is fast transforming a nation of savers into a nation of investors”.

Conclusion

No doubt, villages are in a state of neglect and under-development, with impoverished people, as result of past legacies and defects in our planning process and investment pattern. But the potential in rural India is immense. What if every village in the country is provided with basic amenities, like drinking water, electricity, health care, educational transport, communication and other facilities, with only a smaller population of the village engaged in agriculture and the remaining in other gainful occupations? When this happens India will turn into mighty country. The purchasing power of the rural population throwing enormous demand for goods and services will boost the national economy tremendously. The day will see the reverse migration of people from the urban slums back to the villages. Rural Development is the subject to come to the forefront after the economic reforms and rural banking will serve the backbone of this development.

The Challenging and Burning Problems of India and Ways to Tackle Them

Though India is the largest democracy, we can derive satisfaction about the fact that we have retained our unity and sense of nationality in spite of often bewildering diversities. The self-sufficiency we have achieved in food is also no small feat. We can also legitimately be proud of some of our achievement in the frontier areas of science and technology. All of these are important element in assessing the strength of the foundation on which we hope to build the edifice of our future.

However there is something contrary to the feel good picture. We must look beyond what we want to see, to see what the reality is. The reality is disturbing. Indeed it is so disturbing that it should infuse in us an imminent sense of crisis. Fifty five years after independence we have over 300 million people who live below the poverty line and go hungry to bed every night. This means that the entire population of India in 1947 is today living in poverty which is by any standard the starkest definition of deprivation. It is a matter of considerable shame that in our capital Delhi, illiteracy is as high 46 percent. The situation in the field of primary health care should also give us sleepless night. Every three minute a child dies in India of a disease as elementary as diarrhea. A slogging 50 percent of the children below the age of five years are victims of malnutrition.

Whether we notice or not, these realities are likely to pose danger for the future of India. It can not be kept at bay. Even in Delhi if 40 percent of the people live in the slum, and 35 per cent of the people in the city defecate in the open, and 4500 tons of garbage in the city is not lifted every day, how long can we not notice this situations? What he or she notes, we don’t? In fact, many foreigners wonder why educated Indians, who are secure and sophisticated in their bearing, and who claim to be the end product of a 5000 year old civilization can be so completely blind to the transparent suffering and deprivation around them.

In visualizing, therefore, the future of India the one truth we must understand is that it is no longer possible for a part of India to progress and become globalised, while another part of India (which is numerically greater) continues to be deprived. The successful can not secede, any aspiration to do so will fail.

Many people, especially from the middle and elite classes, believe that the solution to all our problems is to reduce the size of the unwashed masses. They would be more than happy if some method could be found to castrate the poor, so that they don’t continue to, as is the common belief, marry and multiply like rabbits. The problem, of course, is that we are a functioning democracy. And the truth is that those whom we would like to castrate visit the ballot often. An attempt was made in the past to sterilize people with the help of force. It did not work without doubt; the increasing population of India is very serious matter. The answer of population control lies in education.

There is little doubt that India has a future in the new millennium. This future can be greater than ever before. But for that to happen, we will have to grasp our very own bull by its horns but there are blinkers on our eyes that prevent us from seeing the truth, Hypocrisy creates gap between substance and image but now the time for such sterile dichotomies is over. The future of India in this new millennium will be determined solely by the unity of citizens to forge an integral vision that inspires us to think and embrace the good of all Indians.

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