RISING SOCIAL ISSUES IN INDIA

RISING SOCIAL ISSUES IN INDIA A few days back, Chandrayan 3 made a soft landing on the south pole of earth’s satellite, Moon. The point is now called Shiv Shakti point. Only four countries have descended on moon, something which gladdens the hearts of the denizens of this land. ISRO and the government need to be credited for this remarkable achievement. However, in this euphoric moment we also need to ponder also on the dark side of the belly. To my mind resonates the iconic rock band Pink Floyd’s talismanic album which sent music lovers into raptures – Dark Side of the Moon. Dark Side of the Moon Breathe, breathe in the air. Don't be afraid to care. Leave but don't leave me. Look around and choose your own ground….. ……… ……… For long you live and high you fly But only if you ride the tide And balanced on the biggest wave You race towards an early grave. India is making rapid strides especially after it handled the pandemic and could produce vaccinations to safeguard our population and yet suffers from a host of social issues spanning from poverty to gendered violence which are spiralling menacingly. Some pertinent social issues include poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, baleful caste system, gendered violence, besides communalism which continue to plague the nation even as we are soon to acquire the status of a five trillion-dollar economy by 2024. It is important that the country increases its per capita income (which is Rs1,70,000 in current year) and its health index (which ranked 66 out of 195 countries of the world) to truly find its place under the sun. Population Burgeoning population reduces the per capita of the populace which spirals into inflation and low index of living. Besides migrant labour in search of employment continues to be a bugbear. This workforce faced challenging times when the country was swamped by the scourge of Covid-19. Today we are the world’s most populous nation beating China at 142.86crores, with an infant mortality of 24.5 per 1000 births and deaths of 30.5 per 1000 of children under age of 5 years. These certainly are not positive signs as we ambitiously aim to be world’s third largest economy. Agrarian sector Agriculture continues to be an important sector of the Indian economy. Significantly in terms of employment, agriculture sector provides livelihood to over 151 million people. Approximately 60 percent of the Indian population is engaged in the primary and its ancillary sectors, yet barely contributing eighteen percent to India's GDP. Here lies the crux of all our ailments. Obviously, there is skewed distribution of wealth and employment opportunities. While farmers suicides in the country declined last year as compared to 2020, but overall suicides among people involved in farming operations (farmers/cultivators and agricultural labourers) increased from 10,677 in 2020 to 10,881 in 2021, accounting for 6.6% of total 1,64,033 suicides in the country. Poverty Poverty is defined as the inability to secure the minimum standard of living appropriate to society. India has registered a significant decline of 9.89 percentage points in multidimensionally poor from 24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-2021. The rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in poverty, from 32.59% to 19.28%, which is something to cheer about, yet on the larger canvas the push factor from the rural sector to semi-urban and urban areas in search of gainful employment on account of low farm yields continues. Unemployment Unemployment has often been described as significantly vexed social indicator of societies. This is because an individual is dependent on their work for both livelihood and their status. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, (CMIE), estimates unemployment rate in India to be around 7.95% at present. Underemployment of around 7.93% of the population is also not a healthy social indicator. This reflects people are performing jobs not commensurate with their acquired skillsets. Illiteracy Illiteracy is a major barrier to development as it results in the rise of unskilled labour. According to the latest figures, the literacy rate in India is only 74%. This implies that more than one quarter of the population is still illiterate. God’s Own Country, Kerala, has 100% literacy while Bihar has only 63.82% literacy. The chasm is there to visualise. Caste System Doctrines of Karma and Dharma have been attributed in Hindu society are principal causes of this pernicious system which unfortunately has led to problems of lynching in present times. Tragically 45%, 19% and 11% of the population are OBCs, SCs and STs who encounter enormous social discrimination in the country despite the fact that the Scheduled Caste Act was enacted way back in 1935. Gender Issues Women have always been victims of exploitation and violence within the Indian subcontinent. Violence against women consists of criminal, domestic and social violence. Criminal violence consists of rape, murder, female foeticide and abduction. The year 2021 registered a 20% increase in crimes against women. Recorded and reported figures reveal that 86 rapes take place daily and around 49 are victims of molestation and other crimes. Rise in Communalism Minority appeasement which was encouraged and fostered by central and left-centred political parties earlier has given a rise to a dose of majoritarianism. Over the years there have been festering issues among communities- Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs and others and there have been trouble spots in the North East, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The government certainly has taken bold steps like abrogation of Triple Talaq, Article 370, controlled cross-border terrorism and also laid the road map for the construction of Ram Temple to end a continuous dispute since the idols of Ram Lala were shifted some time back in 1948. In ultimate analysis to accomplish the goal of Hon’ble Prime Minister Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas I reckon Gross Happiness Index is more relevant than mere number crunching GDP as a benchmark to arrest rising social issues. Finland stands number one while India is way below at 122 according to a study. Thus, as a nation and people we need to scale several notches.