Current Social Issues

India's achievements have by no means been insignificant, and a great deal of stock-taking is occurring as the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence approaches. The most frequently cited figure as an index of India's advancement is the figure of 200 million people who are now said to have catapulted into India's middle class; consumerism, which has already wrought havoc in the West, is now being placed before Indians as the new doorway to paradise. The Indian state, which proudly trumpets its achievements, has frequently called attention to India's burgeoning industrial sector, India's accomplishments in space, the phenomenal rise in food production (said to have resulted in self-sufficiency in food, a claim that scarcely squares with the allegation that well over half of the population is severely malnourished), and the well-known contributions of its scientists, engineers, and technicians.

No recognition of Indian achievements in a country bedeviled by heterogeneity can, however, mask the brutalities of everyday life for the vast majority of Indians. The people have been grossly ill-served by the state in such critical domains as health, nutrition, public safety, assurance of employment, and education. The abuse of women continues virtually unchecked, despite the emergence of women's movements, and daily newspapers abound in stories of the abduction and molestation of women, their sexual exploitation, and dowry deaths. Caste oppression, particularly in rural areas, remains acute; infringements of caste rules of moral and sexual conduct have been known to lead to the death of those who dare to transgress. Living conditions in cities and particularly towns remain appalling, and the problems of pollution, the disposal of sewage, and the provision of public facilities remain almost insuperable.