india problems and solutions essay

The three biggest challenges for India's future

India has the world's sixth largest economy and the world's second largest population Image:  REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui

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Stay up to date:, future of consumption.

India is at a tipping point, both in terms of economic growth and in the human development of its more than one billion citizens. The country is the sixth largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $2.6 trillion in 2017. Its GDP growth rate for 2019 is projected to be almost 7.5% , as it continues to be a major engine of global economic growth. It does this while being the world’s largest democracy and the world’s second most populous nation, with nearly 1.35 billion people spread across hundreds of thousands of large urban centres, small towns and rural clusters.

The World Economic Forum’s Insight Report, “ Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Markets: India ”, in collaboration with Bain & Company, paints a vision anchored in rising incomes and a broad-based pattern of growth and benefit-sharing. India is growing its middle class and lifting nearly 25 million households out of poverty.

While sharing an overall strong positive outlook for the country’s consumption future, the report emphasises how unlocking India’s massive implied economic potential in the future depends on accelerating and sustaining its upward trajectory on key human development indicators and aiming for inclusive progress.

The future presents an opportunity for India to tackle the following three big challenges.

According to the World Economic Forum’s report “ The Future of Jobs 2018 ”, more than half of Indian workers will require reskilling by 2022 to meet the talent demands of the future. They will each require an extra 100 days of learning, on average.

There are four dimensions to the challenge of employment skills. First, the education system focuses on gaining conceptual knowledge, rather than tangible skills which ensure employability. Second, there are more jobs in the informal economy than in the formal economy ( 80% vs 20% ). Third, there are state-level and regional disparities within India in terms of employment opportunities. And fourth, India has one of the lowest participation rates of working age women in the labour force - about 25% .

Looking further ahead to 2030, India will remain a relatively young nation with a median age of 31 years (compared to 42 in China and 40 in the United States) and will have added more working age citizens to the world than any other country. India will gain nearly 10-12 million working age people every year over the next decade, leading to a “working age majority”. Therefore, to ensure the country’s envisioned income growth, and hence consumption growth, massive efforts will be required to provide the right skills and gainful employment, with leadership needed from all stakeholders, including corporates, academia, not-for-profit organizations and government leaders.

Calls for action

To tackle the scale of the challenge, interventions on both the national, state and local levels, including public-private partnerships, will be required to right-skill and/or re-skill both the current and the future workforce. One example is the national Task Force for Closing the Skills Gap in India , launched in October 2018 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The task force will bring together leaders from business, government, civil society and the education and training sectors to develop an action plan to address skills gaps in India, by ensuring that education and training systems keep pace with the new demands of labour markets.

By 2030, 40% of Indians will be urban residents. However, there will also be more than 5,000 small urban towns (50,000-100,000 persons each) and more than 50,000 developed rural towns (5,000-10,000 persons each) with similar income profiles, where aspirations are fast converging with those of urban India. The figure below illustrates urban-rural population distribution in India in 2005, 2018, and 2030 projected.

Three critical “access” barriers currently constrain the aspirations of those living in rural areas in India. First, constrained physical connectivity (e.g. access to all-weather roads and electricity); second, lack of digital connectivity (e.g. access to the internet); and third, limited financial inclusion (e.g. access to commercial banks and bank accounts).

While incomes may have begun to rise in rural India, this may not translate into commensurate growth of productivity and inclusion, unless the urban-rural divides are reduced. Given the approximately 60% share of rural population in 2030, this is a critical imperative not only for the government, which serves its people, but also for businesses which are looking for new opportunities and new growth markets in India.

A high priority is infrastructure development, both physical and digital, to enable rural dwellers to access the products and services matching their incomes, needs and aspirations. The government already has flagship programmes such as Digital India , which envisions transforming the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy centred on key programme pillars , such as broadband connectivity and universal access to mobile connectivity, and professed roles, such as “faceless, paperless, cashless ”.

Have you read?

To hope or doubt the state of women’s progress in the world, these asian economies invested in their people – and it paid off.

With sustained, efficient execution, such innovative programmes in digital and financial areas, along with the proposed improvement of physical infrastructure (road connectivity to nearby urban centres and reliable power supply to all rural households), will be key drivers to ensure inclusive growth in India, truly bridging urban-rural divides across multiple levels.

As India marches forward, it faces new challenges in health and sustainable living, even as it has achieved key health targets such as polio eradication. Cities grappling with alarming rates of congestion and pollution, together with an unhealthy population, could significantly dampen the benefits of India’s demographic dividend and urban growth, and lead to a fast deterioration in the quality of life of its citizens.

Two key challenges must be solved to improve the quality of health and urban liveability for India’s citizens at the macro level. First, while improving overall access to and affordability of healthcare services, it will be crucial to address the advent of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which currently account for 63% of all deaths in India . NCDs are on the rise, owing to unhealthy food and lifestyle choices, across both urban and rural areas, and across income segments.

Second, the impending crises in air and water pollution, waste management and urban congestion must be urgently solved. As an illustration of the magnitude of just one dimension of the air-water-waste-congestion challenge, nine of the world's 10 most air-polluted cities are in India, including its capital New Delhi.

India has traditionally been a “sustainable and conscious consumption” economy. Working together, business, government and civil society will have to reconnect Indians with their sustainable and healthy roots. Policy efforts will be needed at the highest levels to harmonize India’s growing need for housing, roads, transport services and packaged goods with the resulting impact on the environment. Sustaining economic growth and managing air quality, groundwater reserves and reducing waste will not be a “nice-to-have” option. It will determine the fundamental quality of life of India’s citizens.

As the country enters a new era of envisioned growth, now is the time for all Indians to come together as one and address the most pressing societal challenges facing the country today: skilling and job creation, the socioeconomic inclusion of rural India, and the building of a healthy and sustainable future for every citizen. Collaborative efforts, especially public-private partnerships to address these challenges, can unlock the full potential of a young, progressive and dynamic nation, and establish India as a model for the world’s fast-growing consumer markets.

This blog draws from the Insight Report " Future of Consumption in Fast Growth Consumer Markets: India ", published in January 2019 by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Bain & Company.

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Problems Facing Indian Economy

Since 1991, the Indian economy has pursued free market liberalisation, greater openness in trade and increase investment in infrastructure. This helped the Indian economy to achieve a rapid rate of economic growth and economic development. However, the economy still faces various problems and challenges, such as corruption, lack of infrastructure, poverty in rural areas and poor tax collection rates.

1. Unemployment

Despite rapid economic growth, unemployment is still an issue in both rural and urban areas. The fast rate of economic growth has left unskilled workers behind, and they have struggled to find work in growing industries. In 2017, the official unemployment rate was just below 5%. However, a report by the OECD found over 30% of people aged 15-29 in India are not in employment, education or training (NEETs).With, little if any government welfare support for the unemployed, it leads to dire poverty.

2. Poor educational standards

Although India has benefited from a high % of English speakers, (important for call centre industry) there is still high levels of illiteracy amongst the population. It is worse in rural areas and amongst women. Over 50% of Indian women are illiterate. This limits economic development and a more skilled workforce.

3. Poor Infrastructure

Many Indians lack basic amenities lack access to running water. Indian public services are creaking under the strain of bureaucracy and inefficiency. Over 40% of Indian fruit rots before it reaches the market; this is one example of the supply constraints and inefficiency facing the Indian economy.

4. Balance of Payments deterioration

Although India has built up large amounts of foreign currency reserves, the high rates of economic growth have been at the cost of a persistent current account deficit. In late 2012, the current account reached a peak of 6% of GDP. Since then there has been an improvement in the current account. But, the Indian economy has still seen imports grow faster than exports. This means India needs to attract capital flows to finance the deficit. Whilst the deficit remains, there is always the fear of a further devaluation in the Rupee. There is a need to rebalance the economy and improve the competitiveness of exports.

5. High levels of private debt

Buoyed by a property boom the amount of lending in India has grown by 30% in the past year. However, there are concerns about the risk of such loans. If they are dependent on rising property prices it could be problematic. Furthermore, if inflation increases further it may force the RBI to increase interest rates. If interest rates rise substantially it will leave those indebted facing rising interest payments and potentially reducing consumer spending in the future

6. Inequality has risen rather than decreased.

It is hoped that economic growth would help drag the Indian poor above the poverty line. However, so far economic growth has been highly uneven benefiting the skilled and wealthy disproportionately. Many of India’s rural poor are yet to receive any tangible benefit from India’s economic growth. More than 78 million homes do not have electricity. 33% (268million) of the population live on less than $1 per day. Furthermore with the spread of television in Indian villages the poor are increasingly aware of the disparity between rich and poor. (3)

7. Large Budget Deficit

India has one of the largest budget deficits in the developing world. Excluding subsidies, it amounts to nearly 8% of GDP. Although it is fallen a little in the past year. It still allows little scope for increasing investment in public services like health and education. India also only manages to collect 12% of GDP in tax, making it one of the lowest in world.

8. Rigid labour Laws

As an example Firms employing more than 100 people cannot fire workers without government permission. The effect of this is to discourage firms from expanding to over 100 people. It also discourages foreign investment. Trades Unions have an important political power base and governments often shy away from tackling potentially politically sensitive labour laws.

9. Inefficient agriculture

Agriculture produces 17.4% of economic output but, over 51% of the work force are employed in agriculture. This is the most inefficient sector of the economy and reform has proved slow.

10. Poor tax collection rates.

According to the Economist, India has one of the poorest tax to GDP rates in the whole world. India’s tax revenue as a % of GDP is just 12%. Compared to an EU average of 45%. This poor tax collection rate reflects widespread corruption, tax avoidance and complicated tax rates. In 2017, Narendra Modi has sought to improve tax collection rates and reduce complications through the introduction of a general sales tax (GST) which involves a single tax rate – rather than tax rates applied multiple times at different stages of production. ( Modi’s tax gamble at Economist)

11. Business difficulties

According to the World Bank , the ease of doing business in India is poor. India ranks 130/190. Big issues for companies include

• Ease of enforcing contracts
• Dealing with construction contracts
• Paying taxes
• Trading across border

12. Inequality within regions

India’s economic growth has benefitted some regions more than others. Technological hubs, such as Delhi and Mumbai have attracted higher-paying jobs. This has attracted an inflow of most mobile and skilled workers; this has created congestion in these super-cities but failed to address the poverty of rural areas, especially in the northeast

13. Rising oil prices

As a net importer of oil, India’s economy is sensitive to increases in the price of oil (and other commodities, such as gas, steel and precious metals. The high price of oil in 2021-22 will worsen India’s current account deficit and put upward pressure on consumer prices.

14. Russian-Ukraine Crisis

Between April 2020-March 2021 Indian-Russian trade amounted to $8.1 billion – around 1% of Indian trade. Indian exports were $ 2.6 billion while imports from Russia amounted $5.48 billion. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, India has been caught in the crossfire of international sanctions against Russia. Indian importers are struggling to get paid because the ban on SWIFT international payments. In particular, India is reliant on the imports of military equipment and components for military hardware; with Russia accounting for 50% of India’s armaments.

• Strengths of the Indian Economy

(1) Inflation in India at Economist (2) Indian Overheats (3) Inequality in Indian Economy (4) India and its segregated growth by Alex M Thomas

Last updated: 22 Nov 2022, Tejvan Pettinger , www.economicshelp.org, Oxford, UK

18 thoughts on “Problems Facing Indian Economy”

Helped me a lot to complete the final part of my project.

please send a solutions also on this macro economics problem which is faced by Indian economy

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Essay on Social Issues in India (causes, effects and solutions)

Category: Essays and Paragraphs , Social Issues in India On February 2, 2019 By Team Work

Social Issues in India 

Introduction .

Every society has some problems, and these are commonly termed as social issues . It is a problem that is affecting a considerable percentage of a nation’s or global population or society.

Social issues (also social problem, social evil, and social conflict) refers to any undesirable condition that is opposed either by the whole society or by a section of the society. It is an unwanted social condition, often objectionable, the continuance of which is harmful for the society.

Social issues are caused by some factors that are beyond the control of a single individual and cause a lot of conflict on the moral grounds.

There are some common characteristics of all social problems. This include:

• Social problems are those situations that have bad and injurious consequences for society.
• Social problems arise when there is a deviation of the people or the nature of society from the ideal situation.
• Almost all social problems have some common origin.
• Many of the social issues are interconnected, and if one is solved, then others also get solved.
• Social problems have a huge impact on society and may affect any section of the society.
• Social issues need a collective approach to be solved.
• Almost all societies in this world have social issues.

India is facing a large number of social issues such as caste system, child labour, illiteracy, gender inequality, superstitions, religious conflicts, and many more. It is high time that the society gets relief from these undesirable social evils.

Major Social Issues:  We have prepared a list of major social issues in India. They are briefly discussed below in the following order:

• Caste system
• Child labour
• Child marriage
• Low status of women
• Gender inequality at work
• Dowry system
• Sati practice
• Superstition
• Sanitation and cleanliness
• Religious conflicts
• Juvenile delinquency

1. Caste system

Introduction: Caste system is a system of defining class or assigning status to individuals from the time of birth. In India, the caste system is mainly profession based. India has been a victim of caste system since ages.

The causes, effects and solutions of Caste system in India are discussed below:

Causes: The main reason behind the growth of Caste system in India is the assignment of caste based on job specialization. There were different types of jobs in the society which were done by the people based on their capability. This division of job based on specialization resulted into caste system.

Four classes of Caste system: The four classes includes:

• The Brahmins – the priestly class. They were mainly engaged in religious and priestly activities. They were also appointed as advisors to the Kings.
• The Kshatriyas – the warrior and ruler class. They were mainly engaged in warfare activities.
• The Vaishyas – the trader class. They were mainly engaged in business, agriculture, and trading activities.
• The Sudras – the lowest of the four traditional class engaged as domestic servants and laborers, etc.

Negative effects of Caste system: Caste system has many disadvantages such as:

• Encourages untouchability,
• Promotes Inequality,
• Undemocratic in nature,
• Fake differentiation in superiority and inferiority.
• Increases gap between upper and lower caste people.

People are victimized by caste. There is discrimination which divides the society, and anti-social elements take advantage of this. Caste system is also a danger towards the National integration of the country. Caste system is a major cause for many inhuman and immoral social practices such as untouchability, child marriage, sati system (sati pratha), etc.

• Education will help the people to become aware of the disadvantages of Caste system.
• There is a need for widespread social change in favor of equality of human-beings. Caste system can be discouraged through social education in rural areas.
• There should be special classes at schools that imparts value and moral education to the children.
• Superstitious people are extremely fearful and discourage any change in social norms. Education will help shed away superstition, which in turn, will help shed casteism as well.
• With better education and economic progress, people belonging to diverse caste get opportunity to mix and work together. Many of them become friends while working together on a project.

Introduction: Poverty refers to a situation when people’s basic needs are not fulfilled. When people doesn’t have the necessary food to eat or clothes to wear or shelter to stay then its called poverty. Life becomes very difficult for people with income is below the poverty line (BPL).

Poverty is a vicious circle and is the lack of money or material possessions. Social, political, as well as economic elements, contribute to poverty. It leads to a lack of basic life necessities and comfort. Illiteracy is a major cause and effect of poverty. These people have a low standard of living and poverty is the cause of many social evils.

The causes, effects and solutions for poverty in India are discussed below:

Causes: The major reasons or causes of poverty are:

• People don’t get proper education which leads to poverty. People are poor because they are illiterate, and they are illiterate because they cannot afford education. Illiteracy and poverty stays side-by-side. They both are the cause and effect of each other.
• In case where the resources and opportunities are limited and the population is high, there arises a situation of joblessness which ultimately leads to poverty.
• When a large number of people live in poverty, there is limited scope for the development of country’s economy.
• Some natural and environmental problems such as lack of rainfall, drought, etc. often lead to poverty. There are many other reasons also like caste system, unemployment, etc.

Effects: The negative effects of poverty are mentioned below:

• Poor people will always have to depend on others to survive.
• Low quality foods may leads to bad nutrition.
• Poor people have less liberty for the choice of profession.
• Poverty may affect the moral and self-esteem of people living in extreme hardship.
• Poverty also results in building stress which ultimately affects the relationship of people.
• The low standard of living prevails among poor people.

Solutions: The solutions for poverty are discussed below:

• Poverty can be checked by increasing job opportunities. It will decrease the rate of unemployment which ultimately results in decrease of poverty in economy.
• Government should take more steps towards charity, trusts and have some transparency while spending money in those social institutions.
• There is a need for initiatives of paid leave to the workers.
• The education system should be reformed and initiatives should be taken to bring more children to schools.

3. Child labour

Introduction: Child labour is a system of involving children in any economic activity. Children at the age of playing engage themselves into economic activity for their family. Child labour can be seen throughout the country in a wide way.

Child labour means getting children who are minors of age to do work. Even if children are paid for the labour that they perform, child labour is still deeply wrong.

The causes, effects and solution of Child labour are briefly mentioned below:

Causes : The major causes of child labour in India are:

• Unemployment,
• Illiteracy, and
• Low standard of living.

If the above problems can be resolved from the Indian society, then the country will have less social issues.

When a family is poor, they often have no choice but to send their children out to work. If the child’s parents or other relatives are sick, or poor, more pressure will be put on children to go out to work to provide for themselves and their families.

Due to unemployment of the parents, children do not get proper education and are forced to get involved in child labour. Educated people are less likely to engage their child as child labours. In general, educated people want to keep up a certain level of standard and live a respectable life. On the contrary, illiterate people are not even aware of the evil effects of child labour.

Effects: The negative effects or major disadvantages of child labour include:

• Child labour is an inhuman practice. The mental growth of the children engaged in child labour is checked.
• Children get less time and opportunity to go to school. They are unable to participate fully in education. They are deprived from education which makes them illiterate.
• Child labour obstructs personal growth. The standard of living of people remains low.
• Child labour destroys their childhood. Child labour does not only limit children’s ability to grow emotionally and to relish a period of carefree innocence before they are launched into adulthood.
• Child Labour deprives children of the ability to play, to make friends, to daydream, to relax, and to enjoy all of the key aspects of a normal, desirable childhood.
• Children are the future pillars of the economy and involving them into child labour will only make those pillars weak. Ultimately, child labour affects the country’s growth.

Solution: The main solution to child labour is:

• Imparting education and knowledge to children.
• If incomes of the parents can be increased then it is possible for the children’s to get education.
• Government will have to take more steps towards proper enforcement of labour laws.
• People who are employed and are above the poverty line should take steps towards replacing child workers with adult workers. It will benefit not only the society, but the country at large.

Child labour is an extremely sad and worrying phenomenon that unfortunately still needs to be eradicated in many parts of the world, including India.

4. Child marriage

Introduction: Child marriage refers to the marriage of individuals below the prescribed limit of age. Marriage is to be considered legal as per the Indian Law, when the groom’s age is 21 and above and bride’s age is 18 and above.

Though, child marriage has caused problems to both and boys and girls, the most severe victims of the evil practice are the girls.

The causes, effects and solutions for the social problem of child marriage are given below:

Causes: The causes or the main reason behind the child marriage is the poor economic condition of the family of the marriage parties.

Besides there are other reasons also for child marriage like illiteracy, providing security to their daughters by marrying them to secured person, child trafficking, etc.

Negative effects of child marriage: The negative effects of child marriage include the following:

• Due to child marriage, the girls become pregnant at an early age. Since their bodies are not properly developed to have kids, it may lead to early maternal death. In many of the cases, the infant baby’s health doesn’t seem good.
• Child marriage also leads to illiteracy and poverty. A girl who is married at an early age is deprived of opportunities for education and personal growth.
• Due to less compatibility and understanding, relationship between the couples hampers.

Solution: Education is the only and the best way to stop child marriage. Educated people from society should raise voice against child marriage.

Gender equality and women education  is very important to stop the evil practice of child marriage. The girls become extremely dependent upon her parents because of lack of education. As such, she is not in a position to speak against the will of her parents. If a girl gets equal opportunity to get educated, then she will be in a better position to decide, what that is best for her future.

Government should take steps to enforce the laws on child marriage. The problem of child marriage can be solved by raising awareness about the disadvantages of child marriage.

5. Illiteracy

Introduction: Illiteracy refers to the inability to read and/or write. The problem of illiteracy is a major social issue in India. The problem has spread through-out the country in a wide way. It is one of the most dangerous obstacles in the economy’s growth. People with no education find it difficult to get jobs and remain poor. They are at risk of poor diet, manual jobs, worse physical and mental health. It impacts their social situations too.

The major causes, negative effects and solutions of the problem of Illiteracy in India are discussed below:

Reason: The major reasons of illiteracy in India are discussed below:

• Since many adults in India are illiterate, they don’t understand the importance of getting education for their children.
• Due to the problem of unemployment and poverty, children get little opportunity for proper education.
• Many people stay illiterate due to some physical or mental disabilities.
• Other social evils like caste system, gender inequality also cause illiteracy.

Negative effects/ Disadvantages:

• One of the major cause for crimes is illiteracy. Due to illiteracy issue, rates of crime are gradually increasing and health, productivity and growth of the country is gradually decreasing.
• Most illiterate people are unaware of the benefits of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene.
• Illiterate people find it very difficulty to secure a good job and earn livelihood. If a person is looking for a means to earn and work, but is not getting it then it is known as unemployment. This social problem leads to frustration.
• Overpopulation is a huge increase in the number of people, and it is caused by some factors out of which illiteracy is a major one.

Solution: The only and the best way to eradicate illiteracy from the society are by education.

The scheme for mid-day meals at schools is a welcome step.

Government should take steps to promote free education for the backward class of the society in government schools.

Government also look at the matter that people get fair payment for their work. Appropriate steps should be taken to create more employment opportunities for adults, so that they can educate their children by sending them to school.

6. Low status of women

Introduction: Low status of women refers to the inferior position of women (in comparison to men) in the society. This reflects the narrow mindset of the society. It is seen all over the country, but widely prevalent in the backward areas.

The causes, negative impact, and solutions of the problem of low status of women are briefly discussed below:

Causes: Narrow mindset of the society is the main reasons behind this problem. Women in India are considered inferior than men since ages. A large part of the society believes that men are more capable to earn more than their women. It is widely seen that the male members of the family try to control the activities of the female members, which leads to the low status of women.

Negative impact: The negative impact of the lower status of women are:

• Women do not get the adequate chance to do something to contribute to the society.
• Since the status of women in society is low, people want a boy child instead of a girl child. This intensifies the problem of female foeticide.

Solution: The solution to the problem is:

• The empowerment of women is of utmost importance for solving the problem.
• Awareness must be created to change the narrow mindset of the society. Campaigns must be launched to acknowledge the role and contribution of women in the society.
• Education can also help to solve the problem of low status of women in the society.
• Mass-media campaigns should be promoted.

7. Gender inequality at work:

Introduction: Inequality at work refers to any type of discrimination in working environment based on caste, gender, race, color, etc. But gender inequality at work means discrimination or unequal treatment between male and female workers.

Causes: The main reason behind the issue of gender inequality at work is the mindset and culture.

The ego of male members prevents the female members to enjoy equal position at work places. People also do this because of un-awareness.

Impact and effects: The main impact of gender inequality at work is that society gets shrink and deprived of the minds of the female worker. It also gives rise to low status of women issue in the society.

Solution: The solution for social issue of gender inequality at work is in the hands of people themselves. People should start training and impart proper education for gender equality.

People should also change their perception that women will get less salary in comparison to men. For that, people should introduce successful business women as the role model at their workplaces.

8. Dowry system

Introduction: Dowry is one of the most evil practices that are prevalent in the Indian society. Dowry system is actually the transfer of money, property and other valuable assets of bride’s family to the groom’s family on the eve of marriage.

Reason: There are several reasons of prevailing dowry system in the society like:

• Tradition of asking for dowry at the time of marriage.
• The greed among the family of groom for quick and easy money.
• People also ask for dowry for maintaining status.

Disadvantages: The major disadvantages of Dowry system in the society is:

• The bride’s family who generally belong to middle and low-class has to face the bitter-side of it. Bride’s family spend lavishly during the marriage. Because of this social evil, some families lose huge money.
• Parents often take loan for their daughter’s marriage.
• In many cases, by watching the poor situation of their parents, bride becomes mentally affected.
• Sometimes, the mental torture due to dowry leads to suicidal tendencies.
• Many cases of dowry deaths have been seen in past years.
• Emotional torture and divorce are other evil effects of dowry system.

Solution: The solution to stop the practice of this evil system is in our hands only.

• People should stop discrimination between a boy and a girl.
• Girls should also be allowed to have their education and proper knowledge.
• Awareness must be created and for these people with the help of media.
• Last, but not the least, parents should change the thoughts of dowry from their mind and children should stand against their family for doing this.

9. Sati System (Sati Practice)

Introduction: Sati system or pratha is one of the cruelest, evil, inhuman and immoral social practices prevailing in our country.

Sati system refers to the act of committing suicide by the widowed women on the funeral pyre of his husband.  This is an inhuman act.

In 1987, Roop Kanwar committed sati at the age of 18. After this incident, both the State and the Central Government enacted acts to abolish the Sati system.

Disadvantages: The main disadvantages are:

• Sati System in itself is an inhuman practice.
• Women are deprived of their basic right to live their life.
• Sati system also shows the domination of men over the women.
• Sati system reduces the self-respect of women and brings down the status of women in the society.

Causes: The causes behind the Sati system are:

• To maintain the status: As people of high caste were not allowed to marry with low-caste, so after the death of her husband, she was burned alive only to save the status
• Sati was also committed to save her sexuality with the other member of the society.
• Sati was also practiced by women to show her love and devotion towards her husband.
• In the backward areas where widows were treated as untouchables were forced to commit sati.

Solution: The solutions for the evil practice of sati are:

• Educating the people through mass communication.
• Bringing a change in the perspective of the people that a widow person cannot marry with anyone.

Government has already enacted the Sati Prevention Law. Sati Practice is illegal in India.  The evil is rapidly diminishing from the Indian Society. However, awareness has to be created to stop the sati practice completely.

10. Superstition

Introduction: Superstition refers to the irrational beliefs of supernatural forces. Superstition is one of the major social issues affecting the entire country.

It’s a belief of human beings that there are some supernatural causes behind the bad events. Science doesn’t believe in this type of supernatural causality because science always tries to give scientific explanation for every event. But, deep down inside human beings have their own belief.

There are many superstitions prevailing in the country. Human beings have the tendency to believe bad before the good.

Reason: The main reason behind superstitions is:

• Fear: Fear is the main obstacles for everything. Superstition arises due to human fear.
• Lack of Knowledge: Basically superstition arises due to lack of knowledge.
• Religion, tradition and social practices are others causes of superstition.

Disadvantages: The major disadvantages of being superstitious are:

• Fear: People start to think less broadly and always develop constant fear in mind. This fear affects not only the individual but also his family and society.
• Waste time and energy: People waste of much time and efforts.
• People stop for few seconds whenever they sneeze. All these arise due to human fear and imagination.

Solution: The main solution is to get knowledge and education because knowing nothing causes fear in mind which ultimately arise superstition.

By adjusting or gaining knowledge, mind can develop the reason behind the occurrence of superstition and one can understand very well that these things doesn’t affect anybody’s life.

Also by being always positive, one can get rid of those superstitions.

11. Sanitation and cleanliness

Introduction: Sanitation and cleanliness is a basic problem and one of the important social issues of our country. People should clean their areas and take care of personal hygiene to stay healthy and away from any diseases.

People should clean the areas of keeping food; clean their area of staying to promote cleanliness. People should maintain adequate sewage disposal system so that the public health is not put at risk.

Disadvantages: There are many casualties of not having sanitation and proper cleanliness.

• People suffer from various diseases such as diarrhea, malnutrition, dengue, malaria and many more.
• It also suffers children’s development.

Reason: The major reason behind this is the carelessness and laziness of people themselves. The people themselves create the problem of dirt and unhealthy environment.

People think of their own only and do not think of others. People do not mind to throw garbage in open areas which may negatively affect the environment.

Solution: The solution is in the hands of the people itself.

• People have to start to make their area clean and stay healthy.
• People should make a proper area for sanitation so that public health will not suffer.
• Mass awareness programmes are already initiated by different institutions, organisations and government bodies to save human race.

12. Religious conflicts

Introduction:  Religious conflicts are among the most harmful social issues of today. Sometimes violence, war, conflict, etc. arises because of religious fanaticism.

Causes: The causes are briefly discussed as follows:

• Difference in beliefs: People belonging to different religions have difference in their beliefs. This difference often leads to conflict.
• Lack of education: Illiterate people can be easily mis-guided by people who want to spread violence in the name of religion.

Negative effects: Sometimes conflicts between communities leads to violence and crimes. People become fearful and it affects the overall progress of the country. The lack of communal harmony in society leads to disunity.

Solutions: The solution for religious violence is in the hands of the people only. People should gain proper knowledge and develop better understanding. By removing the thoughts of cruelty, one can correctly judge what’s right or wrong. Awareness must be created and for this media will be very useful.

13. Beggary

Introduction: Beggary is another social problem in our country. People who are in extreme situation of need and poverty are called beggars. The state of being a beggar is called beggary.

Causes: There are many causes behind the beggary problem in India. Some of the reasons behind beggary are poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, social customs, physical disability, mental state, disease and many more.

Impacts and effects: The main disadvantages of beggary is that

• Beggars largely depend on what they get from the people and this is in fact a big problem because they start to depend totally on this and stop finding any other source of income.
• Now, they have become burden to the society and they in fact forcefully made their children to do the same.
• The cruelest part of beggary is that they sometimes allow doing anything to their own body for money. They are sometimes forced to cut their hands or legs.

Solution: Government has to take large initiatives to remove the problem of beggary from the society like providing job security, recruiting more employees in the Governmental sectors and many more. Beggary problem can also be in control if the children who are begging can be put in the Govt. schools for education because education is the main key to eradicate any social problem.

14. Juvenile delinquency

Introduction: Juvenile delinquency is also termed as Teenage Crime. Basically, juvenile delinquency refers to the crimes committed by minors. The crimes by teenage boys or girls are generally done without having proper knowledge of it as they know very little about the world.

Negative effects:   The crimes by minors affects not only the children but to the family  and the society. Children’s are the future generations of the country.  Education of the children is hampered and the status and reputation of the family also goes down. People become less secured and there is always a sense of tension and distress.

Causes: There are numerous reasons behind Juvenile delinquency, such as:

• Lack of knowledge: They know very little about the outside world. They sometimes commit crime unknowingly.
• Trauma: Trauma of any childhood or teenage incident may have negative effect on mind.
• Violent films and movies: Watching any stuff like murder, violence, etc. may again negatively affect the mind of the teenager.
• Family Disturbance also cause for the crime.

Solutions: There are many organisations who deal with the problem of Juvenile delinquency. They are established to help those children who are involved in it. They increase their thinking ability and decision-making skills. They start to understand the meaning of Juvenile delinquency and the results of it. There are rehabilitation centres and consultancies also run by the Government who treat those children and make them a good person.

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India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

Water is the most valuable natural resource as it is essential for human survival and life on earth. However, the availability of freshwater for human consumption is highly under stress because of a variety of factors. This crisis of water scarcity is most visible in India as well as in other developing countries.

This topic of “India’s Water Crisis – How to Solve it?” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

What is water scarcity?

• Water scarcity is the lack of freshwater resources to satisfy water demand.
• It is manifested by partial or no satisfaction of expressed demand, economic competition for water quantity or quality, disputes between users, irreversible groundwater depletion, and negative effects on the environment.
• It affects every continent and was categorised in 2019 by the World Economic Forum as one of the largest global risks with respect to its potential impact over the next decade.
• One-third of the global population (2 billion people) live under situations of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year.
• Half a billion people in the world affected by severe water scarcity all year round.
• Half of the world’s largest cities have been facing water scarcity.

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How is the water scarcity measured?

• The absolute minimum water requirement for domestic usage is 50 litres per person per day, though 100-200 litres is often recommended.
• Considering the needs of agriculture, industry and energy sectors, the recommended minimum annual per capita requirement is about 1700 cubic meters .
• If a country like India has only about 1700 cu. meters water per person per year, it will experience only occasional or local water distress .
• If the availability falls below this threshold level, the country will start to experience periodic or regular water stress .
• If the water availability declines below 1000 cu. meters, the country will suffer from chronic water scarcity . Lack of water will then start to severely affect human health and well-being as well as economic development.
• If the annual per capita supply declines below 500 cu. meters, the country will reach the stage of absolute scarcity .

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What is the status of water availability in India?

• India receives 4000 bcm (billion cubic metres) rainfall each year. Out of this, 1869 bcm remains after evaporation = The actual availability is only 1137 bcm.
• Even in that 1137 bcm of water, there is a lot of temporal as well as regional variations in the availability.
• For instance, on the one side, there are water surplus states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and on the other side, there are water scarce states such as Maharashtra (Vidarbha, Beed), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat.
• Moreover, some states that are known to be water abundant such as Punjab, Haryana have their own issues.

What is the magnitude of the water crisis in India?

• Currently, the annual availability of water is 1123 bcm in India and the demand is around 750 bcm. However, by 2050 the annual demand for water will be 1180 bcm which will exceed the water availability = wide ramifications for the country.
• 70% of India’s water is contaminated.
• 75% of households do not have drinking water on its premises.
• 84% of rural households do not have access to piped water.
• 54% of the country’s groundwater is declining rapidly than it is being replenished.
• India’s water table is declining in most regions. Also, there is a presence of toxic elements like fluoride, arsenic, mercury, even uranium in our groundwater.
• Water levels in India’s major reservoirs have fallen to 21% of the average of the last decade.
• Hundreds of small and seasonal rivers are perishing permanently.
• Almost all the major perennial rivers remain stagnant.
• Cauvery and its tributaries haven’t met the ocean for decades; the upstream dams choke its flows downstream, affecting people in Tamil Nadu.
• Krishna river runs dry in her delta region for most of the year.
• According to NITI Aayog’s water quality index, India ranks 120 th among 122 countries.

What is the recent water crisis in India?

• Maharashtra is facing a water crisis of unprecedented proportions. After years of drought, the river currents have ebbed, water in dams and reservoirs have depleted and over-exploitation of groundwater has raised concerns regarding the long-term availability of water.
• Meanwhile, media reports claim IT firms in Chennai are asking employees to work from home. The reason is that they don’t have enough water to sustain their operations. It hasn’t rained for almost 200 days in the city and it may not get adequate rain to get over the water crisis for the next 3 months.
• In North India, the people of arid Thar Desert of Rajasthan are spending Rs. 2500 for getting 2500 litres of water which they share with their cattle.
• With Punjab facing the threat of desertification and the state struggling to break away from the wheat-paddy cycle, farmers in the state have been adopting a decade-old scheme to utilise underground pipeline system for irrigation.
• In light of this crisis, Central government on its part has created a Jal Shakti Ministry under a full-fledged cabinet minister to resolve the water crisis but a lot more needs to be done.

What are the reasons for this crisis?

Monsoon dependence:.

There is a huge dependence on monsoon rains to replenish most of India’s important water sources such as underground aquifers, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs . But monsoon is vulnerable to factors such as climate change, El-Nino , etc.

Uneven distribution of water and Rainfall pattern :

Certain regions have surplus amounts of water for their need while others face perennial droughts for most of the year. For instance, Drought is a recurrent phenomenon in Andhra Pradesh where no district is entirely free of droughts. Rajasthan is one of the most drought-prone areas of India.

Increasing demand :

Population growth, industrialization, rapid urbanisation, rising needs of irrigation and increase in domestic water usage have accelerated the demand for water. Since urbanization increases in India at a rapid pace = water demand will increase rapidly as city dwellers consume more water than rural people.

Urbanisation & Water scarcity:

• Currently, about 285 million or 33% of India’s total population resides in urban areas. By 2050 this figure will reach 50%.
• Rapid urbanisation is adding to the water scarcity issue in the country.
• Presence of buildings, tar, and cement roads = even if a city like Mumbai gets good rains, the rainwater is not retained in the area as the water is not allowed to percolate underground.
• Therefore, water required for cities is largely drawn from neighbouring villages and far-off rivers and lakes = threatening the availability in those areas.
• Large cities also generate large quantities of urban sewage which pollutes the freshwater sources and ocean waters. However, only about 20% of urban wastewater is currently treated globally. In India, the figure is even lower.

Overexploitation :

• In developing countries like India, groundwater fulfills nearly 80% of irrigation requirement = resulted in a fast depletion of groundwater sources.
• Free power and inefficient utilisation of water by farmers has added to the issue of groundwater depletion.
• The groundwater and sand extraction from most river beds and basins has turned unsustainable.
• Tanks and ponds are encroached upon.
• Dug-wells and borewells are carelessly built to slide deeper and deeper to suck water from greater depths.

Shift to cash-crops:

Water is being diverted from food crops to cash crops that consume an enormous quantity of water.

Inefficient cultivation practices:

• In India, around 70% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood.
• Since the adoption of Green Revolution in the 1960s, nearly 50% of the food production comes from irrigated land.
• But inefficient cultivation practices have led to the flooding of fertile land which in turn has caused salinization, siltation of reservoirs, etc = causing groundwater reserves of major agricultural states to be depleted at an alarming rate.

Water Pollution :

• Release of industrial and domestic waste, including urban sewage, into rivers, lakes, and estuaries has polluted freshwater sources at an alarming rate in India = those fresh water sources are not fit for drinking or other activities.
• Eutrophication of surface water and coastal zones is expected to increase almost everywhere leads to nitrogen pollution .

What are the impacts of the water crisis?

Economic growth: A Niti Aayog report predicted that water demand will be twice the present supply by 2030 and India could lose up to 6% of its GDP during that time.

Power supply: Water shortages are hurting India’s capacity to generate electricity because 40% of thermal power plants are located in areas where water scarcity is high.

Agricultural crisis: Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon (not dependable) + Ineffective agricultural practices in irrigated areas = Water stress in agriculture = Poor Cultivation = Farmer suicides .

Drinking water scarcity: Not only farmers are affected by the water crisis, urban dwellers in cities and towns across India are also facing a never seen before drinking water scarcity.

Conflicts over water : In India, there are conflicts between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing of Cauvery waters, between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh over sharing of Narmada waters, between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing of Krishna waters, etc.

What are the measures taken by the government?

Across the country, states are taking the lead:.

• In Rajasthan, there is a scheme named ‘Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan’. One of its objectives is to facilitate effective implementation of water conservation and water harvesting related activities in rural areas.
• Maharashtra has launched a project called ‘Jalyukt-Shivar’, which seeks to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year.
• accelerating the development of minor irrigation infrastructure,
• strengthening community-based irrigation management and
• adopting a comprehensive programme for restoration of tanks.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan:

• It is a collaborative initiative of various Union Ministries and State Governments, being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).
• Focus Area: is water-stressed districts (256) and blocks (1592).
• Team: Central government officers, headed by joint secretaries and additional secretaries, are assigned to these 256 districts and district administration will also select 2 members to join the team. This team of officers from the central government and district administration will visit and work on water-stressed districts and blocks to ensure water conservation initiatives.
• The campaign is centered on 5 aspects
• Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
• Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks
• Reuse of water and recharging of structures like bore well
• Watershed development
• Intensive afforestation
• Significance: With this initiative, the government seeks to provide drinking water to all households on a priority and in a sustainable way. It is also expected to bring a positive mindset in people for water conservation. The campaign will assist people to work for rainwater harvesting, maintenance, and upkeep of ponds and village tanks and conservation of water.

Jal Shakti Mantralaya

• The government has created a new Ministry named ‘Jal Shakti’after merging Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• Providing clean drinking water,
• International and inter-states water disputes,
• Namami Gange project aimed at cleaning Ganga and its tributaries, and sub-tributaries.
• The ministry will launch the government’s ambitious plan (‘Nal se Jal’ scheme under jal jivan plan) to provide piped drinking water supply to every household in India by 2024.
• This Move seeks to consolidate the administration and bringing water-related issues such as conservation, development, management, and abatement of pollution under a single ministry.
• National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) is responsible for implementing the centrally sponsored national river conservation plan for all rivers across the country except river Ganga and its tributaries (as issues regarding Ganga and its tributaries are taken up by National Mission for Clean Ganga).

Jal Jeevan Mission *

Atal Bhujal Yojana *

•  It is a world bank funded central scheme that aims to improve groundwater management at the national level… Read More .

Can a new water ministry tackle the worst water crisis in Indian history?

• Experts are of the opinion that an exclusive ministry can only bring about a cosmetic but not a real change.
• Water is a state subject = Unless states make specific requests the centre cannot intervene.

What are the solutions to the water crisis in India?

Good water management practices :

• India receives adequate annual rainfall through the south-west monsoon. However, most regions of the country are still water deficient mainly because of inefficient water management practices.
• Rainwater harvesting should be encouraged on a large scale, especially, in cities where the surface runoff of rainwater is very high.
• Roof-top rainwater harvesting can also be utilised to recharge groundwater by digging percolation pits around the house and filling it with gravel.
• Indian cities need to learn from Cape Town of South Africa which when faced with the water crisis in 2018 had announced “ Day Zero “. During that day, water-taps in the city turned off = people had to use communal water-taps to conserve water. Restrictions on water use per person were also fixed.
• Since water is a state subject in India state governments should take active measures and create awareness for the minimal use of water.

Interlinking of rivers :

• Interlinking of rivers is a topic that has been discussed and debated for several years as a possible permanent solution to the water crisis in the country.
• The 3 primary advantages mentioned in favour of the scheme are (1) droughts will never occur (2) there will be no more floods in the major rivers and (3) an additional 30,000 MW of hydropower will be generated.

Coordination in aquifer usage: There is an urgent need for coordination among users for aquifers. There should be laws and contracts for sharing of aquifers. Groundwater aquifer mapping has started only recently in India which is a welcome step.

River basin authority: There should be a River Basin Authority for sharing information among states since most of the rivers in India pass through different states.

Coordinated efforts among states for management of groundwater at a localized level.

Community-level management: At the village level, there can be decentralized management of water at the community level.

Charging money for efficient use of water (like electricity). For example- Water ATMs at Marathwada provide water @25 paisa per litre a day.

Good Cultivation practices:

• Changing the cropping pattern, crop diversification and encouraging water use efficiency in agriculture by moving towards food crops from cash crops.
• Innovative farming practices like precision farming , zero budget natural farming , etc. could be employed for efficient water utilisation.

Incentive-based water conservation in rural parts of the water-stressed regions is another solution.

• For example, if a particular level of groundwater level is maintained, higher MSP can be provided to the farmers of that region.
• MSP can also be provided based on crop’s water usage = Crops that consume a high amount of water will get less MSP.

Way forward

India is not a water deficit country, but due to severe neglect and lack of monitoring of water resource development projects, many regions in the country face water stress from time to time. Therefore balancing water demand with available supply is the need of the hour for future economic growth and development as well as for the sustenance of human life.

New National Water Policy (NWP)

In November 2019, the Ministry of Jal Shakti had set up a committee to draft the new National Water Policy (NWP). This was the first time that the government asked a committee of independent experts to draft the policy.

Highlights of NWP

1) demand-side: diversification of public procurement operations.

• Irrigation utilizes 80-90% of India’s water , most of which is used by rice, wheat, and sugarcane.
• Therefore, crop diversification is the single most crucial step in addressing India’s water crisis.
• The policy recommends diversifying public procurement operations to include Nutri-cereals, pulses, and oilseeds.
• This would incentivize farmers to diversify their cropping patterns, resulting in huge savings of water.

2) Reduce-Recycle-Reuse

• Reduce-Recycle-Reuse has been suggested as the basic mantra of integrated urban water supply and wastewater management, with the treatment of sewage and eco-restoration of urban river stretches, as far as possible via decentralised wastewater management.
• All non-potable use like flushing, fire protection, vehicle washing should mandatorily shift to treated wastewater.

3) Supply-side measure: Using technology to use stored water in dams

• Within supply-side options, the NWP points to trillions of litres stored in big dams, that are still not reaching farmers.
• NWP recommends how the irrigated areas could be considerably expanded at very low cost by using pressurised closed conveyance pipelines, in addition to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)  systems and pressurised micro-irrigation.

4) Supply of water through “nature-based solutions”

• The NWP places major importance on the supply of water via “nature-based solutions” like the rejuvenation of catchment areas, to be incentivised through compensation for ecosystem services.
• Specially curated “blue-green infrastructure” like rain gardens and bio-swales, restored rivers with wet meadows, wetlands constructed for bio-remediation, urban parks, permeable pavements, green roofs etc are suggested for urban areas.

5) Sustainable and equitable management of groundwater

• Information on  aquifer boundaries , water storage capacities and flows provided in a user-friendly manner to stakeholders, assigned as custodians of their aquifers, would allow them to create protocols for effective management of groundwater.

6) Rights of Rivers

• The NWP accords river protection and revitalisation prior and primary importance.
• Steps to restore river flows include: Re-vegetation of catchments, regulation of groundwater extraction, river-bed pumping and mining of sand and boulders.
• The NWP outlines a process to draft a  Rights of Rivers Act,  including their right to flow, to meander and to meet the sea.

7) Emphasis on water quality

• The new NWP considers water quality as the most serious un-addressed issue in India today.
• It proposes that every water ministry, at the Centre and states,  include a water quality department.
• The policy advocates adoption of state-of-the-art, low-cost, low-energy, eco-sensitive  technologies for sewage treatment.
• Widespread use of  reverse osmosis has led to huge water wastage  and adverse impact on water quality.
• The policy wants  RO units to be discouraged  if the total dissolved solids count in water is less than 500mg/L.
• It suggests a  task force on emerging water contaminants  to better understand and tackle the threats they are likely to pose.

8) Reforming governance of water

• The policy makes radical proposals for improving the governance of water, which suffers from three kinds of issues: That between irrigation and drinking water, surface and groundwater, as also water and wastewater.
• Government departments, working in silos, have generally dealt with just one side of these binaries.
• Dealing with drinking water and irrigation in silos has meant that aquifers providing assured sources of drinking water dry up because the same aquifers are used for irrigation, which consumes much more water.
• And when  water and wastewater are separated in planning,  the result is a fall in water quality.

9) Creation of National Water Commission

• The NWP also suggests the creation of a unified multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder National Water Commission (NWC), which would become an exemplar for states to follow.
• Governments should build enduring  partnerships with primary stakeholders of water , who must become an integral part of the NWC and its counterparts in the states.

How Gujarat transformed from Water-deficit state to surplus state?

• The Gujarat government created the state-level Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) to aid in the supply of services and solutions for the deployment of map-based GeoSpatial Information Systems.
• Micro-level check dams.
• Macro-level projects particularly in the Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat areas.
• Gujarat launched the Kutch branch canal from the Narmada Main canal, which helps provide water to the most distant parts.
• Sujalam Sufalam Yojana: to irrigate the areas of North Gujarat.
• The SAUNI Yojana (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation Yojana), which means literally “reincarnation of the Narmada River in the region,” was thus introduced.
• Administrative and Governance reforms.

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Essay on Unemployment in India: Look at the Most Essential Topic of India for UPSC

Unemployment in India is proving to be the worst state for the country. It is defined under many classifications but the impact of it is that it is leading the country towards lower GDP and low living standards. Unemployment is the state of actively seeking work but not finding any paid function. Rich people in India continue to grow towards richness and the poor turn out to be poorer. All these miserable situations must be placed in your mind along with the facts and statistics. This state is making the country regressive for the people who do not have money. Are you an aspirant searching for significant topics for the UPSC exam? If you are looking for an upsc essay, you have come to the right place because here is the essay on unemployment in India. Go through this article precisely and grab all the points.

Also Read: Permanent Court of Arbitration: Important Notes for UPSC Exam

Essay on Unemployment in India

Unemployment is defined as the health of the economy of a country. It is a scenario when someone actively searches for work but does not get any paid job . The rate of unemployment in a country is measured by a certain formulation. The formula is: Unemployment rate = (Unemployed Workers / Total labour force) × 100. A national sample survey organization has been set up for calculating such situations in a country. This organization comes under MoSPI. MoSPI is abbreviated as Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It calculates the unemployment rate in India under three major approaches. These approaches are written below.

#1. Daily Status Approach

The unemployment rate of the citizens of a country is determined by this process. The unemployment status of a person is measured for each day but in a reference of a week. This is done by noticing that if any person is having no gainful work even for one hour in a day, then the person will be described as unemployed for that day.

#2. Weekly Status Approach

This approach is used effectively for measuring the unemployment rate of a nation. This approach works for highlighting the record of few people who did not have gainful or paid work even for an hour of a day. This is also valid for the unemployed people for an hour on any day of the week. This proceeds the date of the survey. A single day in the entire week is determined by this approach.

#3. Usual Status Approach

This is the most common form of reporting the number of unemployed people in a country. The approach tests the estimates of those individuals who had no gainful work or were unemployed for a major time during the whole year i.e. 365 days. It is calculated for the whole year.

Also Read: Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine: A Very Important Healthcare Topic for UPSC

Causes of Unemployment

Many causes are leading to the increment in the unemployment rates in India. The causes include the given points.

#1. Overpopulation is the most important cause of unemployment.

#2. Lack of education is also contributing largely to the unemployment rates. The status of ineffective educational structures,  no or low educational levels along with lesser vocational skills of the working population is a major cause.

#3. Bad quality infrastructure and inadequate growth of industries are a  cause along with very few investment rates in the sectors of manufacturing.

Also Read: Recusal of Judges: A Potential Topic for The Next UPSC Exam

Have a Look at Other Major Causes!

#1. Lower concentration towards the agriculture sector causing greater unemployment and low investment in modern agricultural technologies.

#2. The other cause is the division of the larger workforce. The workforce is working for informal functioning due to lack of education and henceforth employment measurements are less. For example, construction workers, domestic helpers, etc.

#3. The most influential cause is the regressive state of women in the country. The subservient and orthodox social norms are deteriorating women from continuing employment.

Unemployment in India Essay

The facts say that India’s unemployment rate in February 2021 was 6.9 percent. It is still very down but has turned out to be better than before considering its downfall from 7.8 percent in February 2020 . It indicates that the country is returning to the pre COVID levels in terms of unemployment. The experts from the economic department say that the labour workforce was depressed even before the outbreak of the pandemic and the situation during COVID has made it worse. The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy has claimed that participation from the labour force and employment rates have remained low. This is the data that is indicating labour fallout from labour markets due to lack of jobs.

Also Read: New IT Rules 2021: Facts to Know for UPSC about New Provisions, Patterns & Rules

People Losing Jobs!

The unemployment rate in India is touching heights because of people losing jobs. The people who had jobs are losing them due to lesser market evolution and functioning. In the metropolitan areas, people are degrading financially and losing jobs. CMIE recently claimed that the unemployment rate is dramatically rising. The post-lockdown era is marked by a noticeable drop of 2.5 percent in employment along with a drop of 6.2 percent in the count of unemployment

There has been a reduction of 2.8 percent in the labour force as well.

Types of Unemployment in India

There are different kinds of unemployment traced in India. Disguised unemployment refers to the state when more than the expected number of people are unemployed which is majorly seen in unorganized sectors and agriculture. Seasonal unemployment is a state of a person being seasonally unemployed. Structural unemployment is a factor that arises due to a lack of requisite skills for a certain organization. It is a mismatch between the individual and industry. Cyclical unemployment is something that arises due to recessions or declines in the economic conditions of the country. Vulnerable unemployment is a state where people are working without a definite income and job contact. Technological unemployment is something that occurs due to a lack of technology. It was stated by the World Bank in 2016 that 69% of jobs are threatened under this case.

Also Read: What is Mission Indradhanush: A Potential UPSC Topic Related to Covid-19 Vaccine

Impact of Unemployment

The impact of unemployment is detrimental to the people. It leads to the generation and growth of poverty. It also increases the crime rates of the nation because the young mind finds some illegal and unlawful things to do when they do not get a potential job. The people become enticed by antisocial elements and start losing faith in the democracy of India. Unemployed people who indulge in drugs and commit suicides that are a loss of resources to the nation. It is a way of decreasing and degrading the economy of the country and pushing it towards devastation.

You must keenly know this UPSC essay to upgrade your learning capabilities regarding the current issues of society.

Initiatives by the Government of India

There are many initiatives taken by the government of India for the betterment of people and giving them employment. The initiative for the rural people was taken in 1980 as Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP). In 1979, one scheme was launched that was primarily concerned with self-employment and SC/ST people. It was named Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment (TRYSEM). It gave employment to youth ranging from the age of 18 to 35. RSETI/RUDSETI was launched by the government to minimize the issues of unemployment. The other schemes include PMKVY, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana which was launched in 2015 to enable the youth towards learning industry skills and getting a potential job.

Schemes Launched by the Government

The most known scheme is MNREGA which stands for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. It came in 2005 for giving the right to work to all the citizens. The main aim of this scheme was to provide social security to the people for 100 days of paid work. It gave employment to many people across the nation. Start-Up India scheme and Stand Up India scheme came out in 2016 to uplift the people by developing an entrepreneurship environment for them and giving loan benefits to the SC/ST people and women respectively. The government has been making tremendous efforts to give employment to the youth and to turn the country into a larger economy and development.

Also Read: Addu Atoll UPSC Topic: Why is Addu Atoll Trending All Over India?

We hope that we have covered the essential points in this article. You must be aware of the problems faced by the country and should work appropriately to modify or upgrade the conditions. You must not read the articles for learning but you must enlighten your soul about the situations popping up before the citizens of the country.

If you are finding it difficult to crack the CSE or prepare for it excellently, you must visit UPSC Pathshala . You will get the best guidance over every hindrance and solutions to all your questions. You just have to click on your device and get connected to the most experienced faculties and experts through the websites. You will become confident and intelligent enough to achieve your goals.

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Unemployment is the traditional and major cause of India which hinders it’s development. I was looking for an article which has the overall outlook to the unemployment in India so that I could get the precise information. This article has helped me in getting it. Do you guys have same opinion?

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Essay on Indian Education System for Students and Children

500+ words essay on indian education system for students and children.

The Indian education system is quite an old education system that still exists. It has produced so many genius minds that are making India proud all over the world. However, while it is one of the oldest systems, it is still not that developed when compared to others, which are in fact newer. This is so as the other countries have gone through growth and advancement, but the Indian education system is still stuck in old age. It faces a lot of problems that need to be sorted to let it reach its full potential.

Problems with Indian Education System

Our Indian education system faces a lot of problems that do not let it prosper and help other children succeed in life . The biggest problem which it has to face is the poor grading system. It judges the intelligence of a student on the basis of academics which is in the form of exam papers. That is very unfair to students who are good in their overall performance but not that good at specific subjects.

Moreover, they only strive to get good marks not paying attention to understanding what is taught. In other words, this encourages getting good marks through mugging up and not actually grasping the concept efficiently.

Furthermore, we see how the Indian education system focuses on theory more. Only a little percentage is given for practical. This makes them run after the bookish knowledge and not actually applying it to the real world. This practice makes them perplexed when they go out in the real world due to lack of practical knowledge.

Most importantly, the Indian education system does not emphasize enough on the importance of sports and arts. Students are always asked to study all the time where they get no time for other activities like sports and arts.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How Can We Improve Indian Education System?

As the Indian Education System is facing so many problems, we need to come up with effective solutions so it improves and creates a brighter future for students . We can start by focusing on the skill development of the students. The schools and colleges must not only focus on the ranks and grades but on the analytical and creative skills of children.

In addition, subjects must not be merely taught theoretically but with practical. This will help in a better understanding of the subject without them having to mug up the whole thing due to lack of practical knowledge. Also, the syllabus must be updated with the changing times and not follow the old age pattern.

Other than that, the government and private colleges must now increase the payroll of teachers. As they clearly deserve more than what they offer. To save money, the schools hire teachers who are not qualified enough. This creates a very bad classroom environment and learning. They must be hired if they are fit for the job and not because they are working at a lesser salary.

In conclusion, the Indian education system must change for the better. It must give the students equal opportunities to shine better in the future. We need to let go of the old and traditional ways and enhance the teaching standards so our youth can get create a better world.

FAQs on Indian Education System

Q.1 What problems does the Indian Education System face?

A.1 Indian education is very old and outdated. It judges students on the basis of marks and grades ignoring the overall performance of the student. It focuses on academics side-lining arts and sports.

Q.2 How can we improve the Indian education system?

A.2 The colleges and schools must hire well and qualified teachers. They must help students to understand the concept instead of merely mugging up the whole subject.

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Major Issues in the Indian Education System

The Indian Education System has its share of issues and challenges which need to be resolved to provide better and improved education to children, who are the future of the country. Over the years, a lot has changed in the Indian education system but still, there are many loopholes and problems which need to be resolved. 

In this article, we shall discuss in detail the issues and challenges with the Indian Education System and a few counter solutions to overcome these challenges. Also discussed are a few schemes which have been initiated by the Government for the improved education of students across the country. 

Aspirants preparing for the upcoming IAS Exam must carefully go through this article. 

Education System in India – Issues Download PDF Here

About the Indian Education System

A major shift in the education system can be observed from the pre and post-British rule till today in India. Initially, children were educated in Gurukuls which was later modified and the modern education system was introduced. 

After India became independent, the constitution committed six fundamental rights, of which one was the Right to Education. It allowed free education for every child up between the ages of 6 and 14 years. 

The education system is mainly divided into pre-primary, primary, elementary and secondary education, which is followed by higher studies. 

However, there are many drawbacks and loopholes in this system which if curbed can work for the overall development of the country. 

To know in detail about the Right to Education Act (RTE) , aspirants can visit the linked article.

Current Issues in Education in India

Discussed below are the current issues with the Education system in India:

• Expenditure on education – More funds should be allotted for the development of the education system in India. In the past few years, many beneficial steps have been taken in this direction and if the same is continued India may soon overcome the current challenges.
• Gross enrolment pattern – As followed by the UN must also be adopted by India.
• Capacity utilisation – The world now needs creative minds and the Government must encourage schools to boost the students and utilise their capacities to the max and not let their ideas go unheard.
• Infrastructure facilities – Better infrastructure must be provided especially in Government schools. Since the Government is now focussing on digital education, they must undertake steps to provide all necessary facilities in the Government schools and rural areas as well.
• PPP model – Well-designed PPPs can create models of innovation for the school system in India. Thus the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model must be taken into consideration.
• Student-teacher ratio – The number of students in search of proper education is way more in comparison to the teachers and faculty available. Thus, qualified teachers must be appointed to impart knowledge to the future of the country.
• Accreditation and branding – quality standards.
• Students studying abroad – Many students choose to study abroad because of these issues in the Indian education system. The concerned authorities must work on them and students must also choose to stay, learn in India and empower the country through their knowledge.

UPSC and other Government exam aspirants can also refer to the links given below for exam preparation:

Indian Education System Problems and Solutions

There are a few simple solutions which can help in overcoming the problems with the India Education System:

• Innovations required – India is moving towards digital education. This will help in budding the innovative minds of students and the youth of the country. This will bring a transformation in the Indian education system and the authorities and Government must encourage and boost the young minds to focus on overall development rather than just the book-learning.
• Quality of education – There is a major difference in the quality of education being provided in the rural and urban areas of the country. Steps must be taken to standardize the quality of education across India so that everyone can get equal and unbiased knowledge and opportunities to grow.
• Making education affordable – There are Government schools and educational Institutions which are affordable but lack in terms of infrastructure and quality. On the other hand, there are various private education institutions which demand high fees and have better infrastructure and equipment to study. This disparity must be worked upon and the Government must make education affordable and accessible for all. 

Schemes & Campaigns to Boost Education System in India

Given below is a list of Government schemes introduced to enhance the education system in India:

• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – Launched in 2001 to promote ‘Education for All’, strengthening the existing infrastructure of schools and construction of new schools. To know in details about the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) , visit the linked article.
• National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level – It is a focused intervention of the Government of India, to reach the “Hardest to Reach” girls, especially those not in school. Read more at Elementary Education: Moving Towards RTE And Quality Improvement.
• Mid-Day Meal Scheme – It is one meal that is provided to all children enrolled in government schools, government-aided schools, local body schools, special training centres (STC), madrasas and maktabs supported under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Visit the Mid Day Meal Scheme page to learn more.
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan – It is a flagship scheme aiming at enhancing secondary education and increasing the enrolment rate by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of every home.
• Scheme for Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutes – The scheme would facilitate the education of minorities by augmenting and strengthening school infrastructure in Minority Institutions to expand facilities for formal education to children of minority communities.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – The scheme to promote girl child education in India. Visit the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana page to learn more about the BBBP campaign.

Aspirants can get the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the prelims and mains examination at the linked article and start their exam preparation accordingly. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Indian Education System

What are some of the problems that beset the indian education system, how effective is the indian education system.

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Urbanization: Problems and Remedies

Last updated on October 6, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

Urbanization is the movement of people from rural to urban regions, expanding cities and towns. It is the process through which cities grow as higher percentages of the population come to live in the city.

Urbanization involves a complex set of economic, demographic, social, cultural, technological, and environmental processes that increase the proportion of the population of a territory that lives in towns and cities.

Urbanization is often discussed in countries that are currently in the process of industrializing and urbanizing, but all industrialized nations have experienced urbanization at some point in their history. Moreover, urbanization is on the rise all over the globe.

Table of Contents

What leads to urbanization?

Industrialization: Industrialization has improved job prospects by allowing individuals to work in contemporary sectors in occupations that contribute to economic progress. Because of better job possibilities, more individuals have been drawn to relocate from rural to urban regions since the Industrial Revolution.

Commerce: Commercialization and commerce are associated with the belief that towns and cities provide better business possibilities and returns than rural regions.

Facilities: There are several social advantages to living in a city or town. Better educational facilities, higher living standards, improved sanitation and housing, improved health care, improved recreation facilities, and improved social life are only a few examples

Job prospects: Higher-value-added occupations are created and increased by services and industries, resulting in additional work possibilities

Cities also emerge when rural regions gradually transition into urban landscapes. Such a transition may be a result of mineral discoveries, resource exploitation, or agricultural operations.

Urbanization in India

India along with China and Nigeria are the most rapidly urbanizing countries as they account for 35% of world urban population growth projected for the 2018-2050 period.

In 2018 a large number of India’s cities had a population of between 300,000 and 1 million inhabitants. There are 120 medium-sized cities of such population size and only five urban settlements with 20 million or more inhabitants.

In India, the urban population amounts to 461 million people. This number is growing by 2.3 percent each year. By 2031, 75 percent of India’s national income is estimated to come from cities.

Providing the necessary urban infrastructure is the big challenge as 70 to 80 percent of the infrastructure that will be needed by 2050 has not been built yet, and the estimated investment gap amounts to approximately 827 billion US dollars.

Also read: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

State-wise data:

• More than 75% of the urban population of the country is in 10 States: Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kerala.
• Maharashtra has 50.8 million persons which are 13.5% of the total urban population of the country.
• Uttar Pradesh accounts for about 44.4 million, followed by Tamil Nadu with 34.9 million.
• Goa is the most urbanized State with a 62.2% urban population.
• Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Gujarat have attained over 40% urbanization.
• Among the North-Eastern States, Mizoram is the most urbanized with 51.5% urban population.
• Bihar, Odisha, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh continue to be at a lower level of urbanization than the national average.
• The NCT of Delhi and the UT of Chandigarh are most urbanized with 97.5% and 97.25% urban population respectively, followed by Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep.

Global scenario

At the international scale, levels of urbanization are closely correlated with levels of economic development, while rates of urbanization are inversely correlated with levels of economic development.

Demographic processes of immigration and migration, as well as natural population growth, are important determinants of urbanization, but these are in turn underpinned by other processes, especially structural economic change.

The most urbanized regions are Northern America with 82% of its population living in urban areas (as of 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%), and Oceania (68%).

Asia has about 50% level of urbanization in Asia and Africa remains mostly rural, with only 43% of its population living in urban areas.

Significance of Urbanization

Some of the beneficial effects of urbanization include job development, technical and infrastructure improvements, better transportation and communication, educational and medical facilities, and higher living standards.

Urban living is linked with higher levels of literacy and education, better health, longer life expectancy, greater access to social services, and enhanced opportunities for cultural and political participation.

Urbanization and economic growth are strongly related in terms of industrialization, employment generation, and increase in productivity.

Also read: Sustainable Livestock Production

Drawbacks of urbanization

Dwelling crisis: There is a continuous scarcity of housing as the number of people living in metropolitan areas grows.

Overcrowding: Overcrowding, urban congestion is a constant, and it is an element that is growing day by day as more people and immigrants migrate to cities and towns in quest of a better living.

Unemployment: Lack of highly skilled jobs is most prevalent in metropolitan areas, especially among educated individuals.

Slums: Industrialization is fast-paced but there is a shortage of developed land for housing. The increasing migration of rural immigrants to the city, and the inflated prices of land beyond the urban poor contribute to the rise of slums and squatters in metropolitan areas.

Sewage infrastructure: In most metropolitan areas, insufficient sewage infrastructure is observed concerning the rapid population growth.

Health crisis: Communicable illnesses like typhoid, dysentery, plague, and diarrhea eventually can spread rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic is a live example of how overpopulated cities and medical facilities collapse under the weight of a pandemic.

Pollution: The need for transportation increases with the increase in population, resulting in traffic congestion and pollution.

Urban Heat Islands (UHI): These are significantly warmer urban areas than their surrounding rural areas due to human activities. Urban Heat Island is a major problem associated with rapid urbanization.

Crime rates: Shortage of resources, overcrowding, higher poverty rates, unemployment, and a loss of social services and education lead to social issues such as violence, drug misuse, and crime.

Government schemes to manage urbanization

Smart cities mission 

The National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal mission launched in 2015, to promote cities to provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment, and a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.

AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) mission

The purpose of AMRUT   which is mainly for urban rejuvenation is to:

• Ensure that every household has access to a tap with an assured supply of water and a sewerage connection.
• Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) and
• Reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and cycling).

Swacch Bharat mission

It was launched in 2014 to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to ensure that the open defecation free (ODF) behaviours are sustained, no one is left behind, and that solid and liquid waste management facilities are accessible, the Mission is moving towards the next Phase II of SBMG i.e ODF-Plus.

Swacch Bharat mission Urban 2.0 was allocated funds in Union Budget 2021 . The goal of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0 is to make all the cities garbage-free with sophisticated waste management systems.

HRIDAY (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana)

National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched on 21 January 2015 to bring together urban planning, economic growth, and heritage conservation in an inclusive manner to preserve the heritage character of each Heritage City.

PM Awas Yojana

The Housing for All scheme was an initiative of the Indian government to establish housing facilities for slum dwellers and was introduced by the Indian government’s Ministry of Housing and urban affairs. The mission has an Urban part and Gramin part to comprehensively acknowledge the diversity of the Indian landscape.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India Mission) is a campaign launched by the Central Government of India which included an Rs.20 lakh crore economic stimulus package and several reform proposals. The five pillars of the mission are- economy, infrastructure, system, democracy, and demand.

Way forward

Sustainable, planned, and eco-friendly cities: Governments’ efforts to build smart, safe, environmentally friendly, and affordable cities should get more boost and legal backing as well.

Private investments: More investments can be encouraged for green living and other urban initiatives for sustainable landscapes.

Access for all: every resident should be able to access all the services, without discrimination of any kind. Disabled friendly and inclusive infrastructure should be made mandatory in urban areas.

Employment: To mitigate the negative consequences of increasing urbanization while still protecting natural ecosystems, private investments in environmental resource utilization and employment creation should be promoted.

Health and Population management: population control is important to manage the spread of diseases. It will help in creating a healthy society with medical facilities accessible to all.

Poverty alleviation: A bottom-up approach can be adopted to better understand unique challenges faced by the urban poor and worked upon.

As we move forward in the 21st century, the global population is likely to continue growing. Urban areas will continue to grow with the population. By 2050, it is projected that two-thirds of the urban population will be living in urban areas, that are close to 7 billion people in cities alone.

This continual growth presents complex challenges as we prepare for the cities of the future. How we choose to manage urbanization will have consequences for our world for many years to come.

Previous year question

UPSC Mains-GS 1, 2017

The growth of cities as I.T. hubs has opened up new avenues of employment but has also created new problems. Substantiate this statement with examples. (15 marks, 250 words)

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Innovation Ecosystem in India: Challenges and Solutions

  Syllabus: Science and Technology

Context : India’s progress in the Global Innovation Index is attributed to public and private commitment, emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship. One of the most important initiatives helping innovation in India is the Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs)

What is Atal Tinkering Labs?

An Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) is part of the Atal Innovation Mission , NITI Aayog, and is established in schools across India. The objective of ATLs is to nurture creativity, curiosity, and skills like design mindset , computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computing in young minds.

What is the Atal Innovation Mission ?

Status of India on Research and Innovation:

• India was ranked 40th position out of 132 in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 rankings.
• India’s research and development (R&D) expenditure-GDP ratio is 0.7% onl y (a world average of 1. 8%)

Challenges in India’s R&D Ecosystem:

How important is community involvement in addressing some of these challenges?

Learning from the success of Amul, a community-based cooperative , highlights the potential for collective efforts to drive innovation. The establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) in schools, engaging over 75 lakh students across 10,000 labs, aims to build a community of young innovators. Initiatives like ATL Sarthi, which clusters labs in regions like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, have shown improved performance through collaborative support . This emphasis on community involvement is particularly vital in rural areas, where 60% of ATLs are located , ensuring that innovative infrastructure remains functional and accessible, especially in areas with shared resources like 3D printers .

What more can be done to improve the innovation ecosystem in India?

Recently government introduced the National Research Foundation Bill 2023 to set up NRF in order to give impetus to the research ecosystem in India.

Insta Links:

R&D ecosystem in India

Mains Links:

Scientific research in Indian universities is declining, because a career in science is not as attractive as our business operations, engineering or administration, and the universities are becoming consumer-oriented. Critically comment. (UPSC 2014)

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Here are the eight challenges that India is facing

1. Worsening Water Nightmare

India is facing the worst water crisis in history. Nearly half the population is struggling with drought-like conditions. This year, rainfall in western and southern states is below average. The NITI Aayog has warned that the demand for drinking water will outstrip supply by 2030 if preventive steps are not taken.

Nearly 600 million Indians suffer from high to extreme water stress. About 2,00,000 deaths per year are attributed to lack of access to safe water. Experts predict that 21 big cities will run out of groundwater by 2020.

2. Fake News Menace

Misinformation, hate speech and false propaganda on social media are dividing India’s community fabric one WhatsApp message at a time. Fact-checker Pratik Sinha believes, what gets maximum likes on Facebook goes viral at least five times more on WhatsApp. For two years his team has been debunking thousands of fake news cases. Ahmedabad-based Sinha, co-founder of India’s leading fact-checking site AltNews, says it is the lack of digital literacy that makes fake news acceptable.

3. Agrarian Catastrophe

Suicides, debt burden, falling prices of produce… India’s farm economy is in turmoil. Massive protests by farmers swept India late last year as thousands of them marched to Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai in the last week of November alone. An estimated 26 crore citizens work in agriculture making about 55-57percent of India’s population dependent on the sector. Despite the government’s implementation of the new MSP regime, profitable remuneration is eluding farmers. Agriculture contributed 21 percent to GDP in 2004-05 but has dropped to around 13 percent in the past 15 years. 

4. Political Arrogance

“Hua toh hua is the mantra of arrogant Congress,” PM Modi raged against Sam Pitroda’s cavalier remark on the anti-Sikh riots. Politicians consistently misuse their position to suppress cases, assault government staff, laud goons and in extreme cases even rape women and get pliant cops to intimidate. Members of ruling parties are the worst: the misconduct of Akash Vijayvargiya and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur invited Modi’s ire. Crimelord MP Shahabuddin was called ‘bahubali’ until he was sent to jail. An MP trashed an airline employee. Another ejected confirmed passengers from a train compartment to seat his gunmen. A law is necessary to rein in such hubris.

5. Flood Mismanagement

Monsoon is synonymous with floods. This year, rains killed nearly 500 between April 1 and July 17. Nearly six lakh houses and over four lakh hectares of crop were damaged, according to home ministry data.

It’s the same story everywhere, every year: thousands evacuated, hundreds dead, livelihoods lost, villages and settlements washed away, houses submerged, and the authorities always caught napping. People die even in financial capital Mumbai, which is paralysed by rain every monsoon.

6. Unemployment

One in three formally trained youth were unemployed in 2017-18, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18. Automakers, parts manufacturers and dealers have laid off about 3,50,000 workers since April. In this economic climate, luck hasn’t favoured Akash Trivedi (name changed). The polytechnic graduate from Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh, came to Delhi seven years ago. “I borrowed money from friends and did a short course in programming and coding and got a job,” he says. After a year, he moved to a better job. Three years ago, he married a hospital receptionist. They bought a small house. Last year, Akash was sacked. “My firm said investors had pulled out and they couldn’t keep a large workforce. Since then I have been unemployed.” His younger brother completed his MBA a year ago but hasn’t found a job. Akash’s wife’s salary of `16,000 is their only income.

7. Pending Justice

Bureaucratic sloth coupled with slow settlement of cases in India’s courts is a scourge the country has to fix on priority. The 100-year-old M Kaliyan will tell you. He has been part of two struggles over a century. The first, the Independence movement, and the second, a Kafkaesque trial for his freedom fighter’s pension. The Tamil Nadu government initially turned down his application which was passed only in 2010 after a protracted legal battle. His application for central government pension is yet to be approved. 

8. Poor Policing

According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, India’s ratio of 138 police personnel per lakh of population in 2013 was the fifth lowest among 71 countries.

Experts state that the archaic Indian police system doesn’t meet the requirements of a modern welfare state and reforms proposals have been pending for long. A 2018 Lokniti team survey at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies found that less than 25 percent of Indians trust the police highly. The distrust is mostly attributed to factors such as: interactions with the police can be frustrating, time-consuming and costly. 

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Overpopulation in India: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Table of Contents

Overpopulation in India: India is the world’s most populous country, with over 1.3 billion people. It overtakes China to become the world’s most populated country. Overpopulation is a major problem in India, as the country’s population is growing at an unsustainable rate. The population is expected to exceed 1.5 billion by 2030, and 2 billion by 2050. This rapid growth is putting immense pressure on India’s resources, and is contributing to environmental degradation, poverty, and social unrest. The government has taken some steps to address the problem, but much more needs to be done.

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Today, the world is inhabited by over 7 billion people. Rapid population growth is the bane of the economy of underdeveloped, poor and developing countries in the world. The population figures present an ironical situation: whereas North America’s area is 16% of the world, only 6% population of the world lives there but it consumes 45% of the world’s total income. On the other hand, Asia comprises 18% area of the world, but it is home to 67% of the world’s population.

Still, it consumes only 12% of the world’s income. The situation in Africa is also more worrisome. Clearly, the areas with higher population remain socio-economically backward. Their residents get food which is not only insufficient, but is also not good in terms of nutrients.

Unbearable burden of population is clearly seen in four regions of the world – Southeast Asian countries in which China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, etc., are the forerunners. The population of the region consisting of the Middle East and North Africa have also been expanding at a rapid pace over the past few decades.

Latin America can also be reported to be responsible for sounding the warning bells for the world. Along with the population increase here, it is witnessing decrease in the quality of life of the people and increase in internal instability. In the sub- Saharan Africa, there is a rapid increase in population due to higher birth and fertility rates.

These above-mentioned areas of the world have been termed as explosive areas of population. Not only the population has increased more in these regions so far, but these areas will be liable to population increase even in the near future too.

Overpopulation in India

India is the second most populous country in the world, after China. Overpopulation is among the more serious problems that our country is facing, as it accounts for more than 1.20 billion people of the over 7 billion population of the world.

Interestingly, USA, that ranks 3rd in the list of most populated countries of the world, is inhabited by 311.1 million people who comprise just 1/4th of India’s population. This gap become even more astonishing when considered that the USA is three times larger than India in size.

Some of the Indian states outnumber several countries in population. Uttar Pradesh with a population of 166 million leaves behind the Russian Federation, home to 146.9 million people. Similarly, Orissa’s population exceeds that of Canada, and Chhattisgarh’s that of Australia.

Go Through world Population Statistics Worldometer

Causes of Overpopulation

• Increased Life Expectancy: While the average annual birth rate in India, which was 42 per thousand in 1951-61, decreased to 24.8 per thousand in 2011, the country has seen its decadal death rate decline to 8.5 in 2001-2011 from 42.6 in 1901-1911. Since the death rate has also gone down sharply, the population has tended to grow very fast in India.
• Lack of family planning: If we add the number of miscarriages (6.20 lakh in 2010-11) in the country with an estimated number of births (2.05 crore in 2010-11) in one year, even in this age of family planning, one woman, on an average, is pregnant at any time in the age group of 15-45 years. All this happens because a large number of people in our country are illiterate with no awareness about the various advantages of family planning and the ill-effects of overpopulation on society.
• Early marriage : Child marriage is one of the major social problems of our country. Even today, a large number of boys and girls are married at an age when they are not prepared for family responsibilities either socially, emotionally, physically and mentally. Marriage at unripe age also leads to higher mortality rate of infants.
• Lack of education: The failure of family planning is directly related to large-scale illiteracy that also contributes to early age of marriage, low status of women, high child-mortality rate etc mentioned above. Uneducated families cannot grasp the issues and problems caused by the increasing population rate. They are least aware of the various ways to control population, usage of contraceptives and birth control measures.
• Religious reasons: The people who are conservative and orthodox are opposed to the use of family planning measures. Women in such families are not allowed to take part in family planning because they are not supposed to go against the wishes of God. There are also women who argue that children are born with God’s will and women are destined to give birth to children. Muslim households have more birth rates than Hindu communities. Surveys among Muslims from time to time have found that despite the awareness of modern family planning measures, most respondents, both women and men, are against their use due to religious reasons and fatalistic outlook.
• Compulsions of poverty: Poverty is another reason for the increase in population in our country. Many poor parents produce more children not because they do not have the knowledge about contraceptives, but because they require children to assist them in earning their livelihood. It is clear from the fact that there is unending number of child labourers in our country. If poor families stop the children from working, their family income tends to fall way short of meeting their basic needs.
• Problem of mind-set : Generally, illiterate and uneducated children inherit their father’s behaviour and choose to give birth to as many children as is necessary to increase the income of their family. As a son is supposed to be the bread earner of the family, the poor do not mind producing any number of girl children in their desire to be ultimately blessed by a male child.

Effects of Overpopulation

• Burden on natural resources: Overpopulation leads to over-exploitation of natural resources. Increasing population puts further burden on the earth’s capacity to produce food and water and other natural resources. As a result, the underprivileged people have to suffer malnutrition, starvation and unhealthy living conditions Excessive increase in population leads to grave forms of pollution and deforestation.
• Rise in poverty: Overpopulation leads to the vicious circle of illiteracy, unemployment and poverty. Lack of education deprives the people of the opportunities to earn their livelihood and fulfil the bare necessities of their lives.
• Widening the rich-poor gap: Overpopulation leads to an unequal distribution of wealth and income. Consequently, the gap between the rich and poor is widened further.
• Migration of Population: Migration is a natural human trait. When the burden of population in any area becomes imbalanced compared to the available financial resources, people tend to move away from their original location. It is comparable to the phenomenon of bee hive – when it is completely filled, flies leave it and go elsewhere. Similarly, human beings stop at one place for a time and then feel the urge to move on again. For this reason, human beings generally do not live anywhere permanently except for a few exceptions.

The impact of human transformation is especially felt in terms of culture, but economic effects are also important. People who make the change are often young people, while the old and the children follow them.

The following are some of the other similar problems generated by overpopulation:

Food and nutrition problems; housing problems; starvation and famine; infectious diseases and epidemics; increasing population pressure on the cities and development of slums; heavy burden on most resources; decrease in agricultural areas; continuous destruction of forests; threat to environment including wildlife; political instability, war, social evils and corruption, etc.

Overpopulation Solutions

Preventing the rapid growth of the population is the key to the victory over poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, economic backwardness, etc in the modern world. The increasing population will only swallow the growing development of the nation and the benefit of advanced technology. Therefore, the following measures should be taken to curb the excessive growth in population:

• Family Planning: For a good, prosperous nation, it is necessary that its residents are healthy and their numbers are in sync with the country’s wealth. For this, modern methods and measures of family planning should be adopted. They should be propagated in a proper manner by the government, NGOs and civil society.
• Increase in marriage age: Minimum age of marriage of boys and girls should be increased. The age of marriage in India has been fixed for girls at 18 years and for boys at 21 years. It should be complied with firmly in all the states. For this, we require a strong political will, accompanied by an effective system of governance.
• Balanced ratio: It is also necessary to make qualitative improvement in the population. The gap between the children should be at least five years and the number of offspring should not exceed two children per family.
• Improvement in public health services : It is necessary to pay attention to public health and cleanliness to increase man’s economic capacity. In each state, emphasis should be on pollution-free and clean environment in urban and rural areas.
• In the interest of the nation, small areas of land should also be used to their optimum limit.
• To fulfil various needs, land should be used for multipurpose production.
• Land should not be left un-utilized for any reason.
• Appropriate changes in the use of agricultural land should be made in accordance with the demand for any item.
• Land use should be determined by considerations of workers, marketing and traffic related arrangements available and the value and quantity of commodities etc.
• There is a need to improve the land system and increase agricultural production.
• In agriculture, innovative technology should be used at all levels.
• In farming, equilibration should be maintained in composting, fertilizers, seeds and pesticides.
• New mixed and useful breeds of animals should be developed.
• Wastelands, dry and other useless and marshland lands should be made useful by continuously improving upon them.
• Need for education: To improve the condition of the farmers, they need to be educated and attached with some cooperatives. With the help of government, co-operatives and other useful institutions, the farmers continue to get the opportunity to learn about loans, proper agriculture methods, education and technology. They, thus, realize that illiteracy is a curse that leads to only deprivation and destruction.
• Proper industrialization: In areas where industrial development has not reached yet, industrialization should be done promptly. Small and cottage industries should be encouraged, because small industries establish a necessary linkage and coordination between agriculture and large-scale industries, along with it between rural and urban income. By reducing the gap, they also develop other means of livelihood. This leads to the development of many subsidiary and new dwellings in the cottage and small scale sector. If small industries increase in the villages, they also absorb the burden of population.
• Proper government policies: Means of education, entertainment and employment should be increased. Our government needs to adopt such public policies that not only curb the uncontrolled growth of the number of persons, but also prevent unchecked migration of the population and the growing centralization of the people in urban areas. For the right population mix, adequate resources should be harnessed with provision of enough space and strong infrastructure.
• Promoting family planning: Spreading awareness about the contraception measures and birth control techniques is most effective method to keep the population within limit. We need to make people aware about benefits and ways of family planning in order to overcome the problem of overpopulation. It will also help them to understand the need of having one or two children at the most.

Family planning needs to be seen under its own right. Right measures will have to be implemented, force will not work, but only through discussions and persuasion, success can be achieved. Legal measures can be helpful but what is of urgent need is the social awareness and realization of responsibility in society as a whole. Other suggestions include:

• Encourage interval method rather than sterilization in family planning programme.
• Age of girl child marriage should be raised further.
• Emphasis to be laid on economic development.
• Rapid awareness campaign to be run by the government and non-governmental organizations
• New, innovative contraceptives should be explored.
• Reduction in birth and fertility rates.
• Emphasis on gender parity priority for girl education.
• Empowering women: Any woman who has many children for parenting and who passes through child deliveries repeatedly spends most of her life as a mother and wife. She is imprisoned in the four-walls of her house. She cannot play any meaningful role in her community and society until she is able to limit her family to a proper size. Family planning will not only improve family welfare, but also contribute to achieving social prosperity and personal happiness.
• Raising awareness: Fast population growth in India hinders the progress and development of the country. Reducing the existing population is not possible but it is possible to check further rise in population of our country which can overcome the problem of population growth, through spreading awareness about overpopulation.

Once people know that unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, unhealthy living conditions, depletion of natural resources and environmental problems are all results of overpopulation; they will themselves take initiatives to control the population growth.

Unbridled growth of population is certainly a problem that our country needs to overcome. The government, NGOs and the people of the society have to work together to solve the problem of overpopulation in our country. Clearly, human beings need to stop overpopulating the world. The Earth has a limited capacity and we must not tear open its bowels to feed ourselves.

Related Information:

Essay on Overpopulation in World

Essay on World Population Day

Essay on Population

Essay on Population Growth

Speech on World Population Day

Paragraph on Population

World Population Day

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Overpopulation in India

Overpopulation refers to an undesirable condition where human population exceeds the available natural resources to feed and sustain it. Today, the world is inhabited by over 7 billion people, with China topping the list as the most populated country, followed by India. Rapid population growth is the bane of the economy of underdeveloped, poor and developing countries in the world.

The population figures present an ironical situation: whereas North America’s area is 16% of the world, only 6% population of the world lives there but it consumes 45% of the world’s total income. On the other hand, Asia comprises 18% area of the world, but it is home to 67% of the world’s population.

Still, it consumes only 12% of the world’s income. The situation in Africa is also more worrisome. Clearly, the areas with higher population remain socio-economically backward. Their residents get food which is not only insufficient, but is also not good in terms of nutrients.

Unbearable burden of population is clearly seen in four regions of the world – Southeast Asian countries in which China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, etc are the forerunners. The population of the region consisting of the Middle East and North Africa have also been expanding at a rapid pace over the past few decades.

Latin America can also be reported to be responsible for sounding the warning bells for the world. Along with the population increase here, it is witnessing decrease in the quality of life of the people and increase in internal instability. In the sub- Saharan Africa, there is a rapid increase in population due to higher birth and fertility rates.

These above-mentioned areas of the world have been termed as explosive areas of population. Not only the population has increased more in these regions so far, but these areas will be liable to population increase even in the near future too.

India is the second most populous country in the world, after China. Overpopulation is among the more serious problems that our country is facing, as it accounts for more than 1.20 billion people of the over 7 billion population of the world.

Interestingly, USA, that ranks 3rd in the list of most populated countries of the world, is inhabited by 311.1 million people who comprise just 1/4th of India’s population. This gap become even more astonishing when considered that the USA is three times larger than India in size.

Some of the Indian states outnumber several countries in population. Uttar Pradesh with a population of 166 million leaves behind the Russian Federation, home to 146.9 million people. Similarly, Orissa’s population exceeds that of Canada, and Chhattisgarh’s that of Australia.

Causes of Overpopulation

• Increased Life Expectancy: While the average annual birth rate in India, which was 42 per thousand in 1951-61, decreased to 24.8 per thousand in 2011, the country has seen its decadal death rate decline to 8.5 in 2001-2011 from 42.6 in 1901-1911. Since the death rate has also gone down sharply, the population has tended to grow very fast in India.
• Lack of family planning: If we add the number of miscarriages (6.20 lakh in 2010-11) in the country with an estimated number of births (2.05 crore in 2010-11) in one year, even in this age of family planning, one woman, on an average, is pregnant at any time in the age group of 15-45 years.  All this happens because a large number of people in our country are illiterate with no awareness about the various advantages of family planning and the ill-effects of overpopulation on society.
• Early marriage : Child marriage is one of the major social problems of our country. Even today, a large number of boys and girls are married at an age when they are not prepared for family responsibilities either socially, emotionally, physically and mentally. Marriage at unripe age also leads to higher mortality rate of infants.
• Lack of education: The failure of family planning is directly related to large-scale illiteracy that also contributes to early age of marriage, low status of women, high child-mortality rate etc mentioned above. Uneducated families cannot grasp the issues and problems caused by the increasing population rate. They are least aware of the various ways to control population, usage of contraceptives and birth control measures.
• Religious reasons: The people who are conservative and orthodox are opposed to the use of family planning measures. Women in such families are not allowed to take part in family planning because they are not supposed to go against the wishes of God. There are also women who argue that children are born with God’s will and women are destined to give birth to children. Muslim households have more birth rates than Hindu communities. Surveys among Muslims from time to time have found that despite the awareness of modern family planning measures, most respondents, both women and men, are against their use due to religious reasons and fatalistic outlook.
• Compulsions of poverty: Poverty is another reason for the increase in population in our country. Many poor parents produce more children not because they do not have the knowledge about contraceptives, but because they require children to assist them in earning their livelihood. It is clear from the fact that there is unending number of child labourers in our country. If poor families stop the children from working, their family income tends to fall way short of meeting their basic needs.
• Problem of mind-set : Generally, illiterate and uneducated children inherit their father’s behaviour and choose to give birth to as many children as is necessary to increase the income of their family. As a son is supposed to be the bread earner of the family, the poor do not mind producing any number of girl children in their desire to be ultimately blessed by a male child.

Effects of Overpopulation

• Burden on natural resources: Overpopulation leads to over-exploitation of natural resources. Increasing population puts further burden on the earth’s capacity to produce food and water and other natural resources. As a result, the underprivileged people have to suffer malnutrition, starvation and unhealthy living conditions Excessive increase in population leads to grave forms of pollution and deforestation.
• Rise in poverty: Overpopulation leads to the vicious circle of illiteracy, unemployment and poverty. Lack of education deprives the people of the opportunities to earn their livelihood and fulfil the bare necessities of their lives.
• Widening the rich-poor gap: Overpopulation leads to an unequal distribution of wealth and income. Consequently, the gap between the rich and poor is widened further.
• Migration of Population: Migration is a natural human trait. When the burden of population in any area becomes imbalanced compared to the available financial resources, people tend to move away from their original location. It is comparable to the phenomenon of bee hive – when it is completely filled, flies leave it and go elsewhere. Similarly, human beings stop at one place for a time and then feel the urge to move on again. For this reason, human beings generally do not live anywhere permanently except for a few exceptions.

The impact of human transformation is especially felt in terms of culture, but economic effects are also important. People who make the change are often young people, while the old and the children follow them.

The following are some of the other similar problems generated by overpopulation:

Food and nutrition problems; housing problems; starvation and famine; infectious diseases and epidemics; increasing population pressure on the cities and development of slums; heavy burden on most resources; decrease in agricultural areas; continuous destruction of forests; threat to environment including wildlife; political instability, war, social evils and corruption, etc.

Overpopulation Solutions

Preventing the rapid growth of the population is the key to the victory over poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, economic backwardness, etc in the modern world. The increasing population will only swallow the growing development of the nation and the benefit of advanced technology. Therefore, the following measures should be taken to curb the excessive growth in population:

• Family Planning: For a good, prosperous nation, it is necessary that its residents are healthy and their numbers are in sync with the country’s wealth. For this, modern methods and measures of family planning should be adopted. They should be propagated in a proper manner by the government, NGOs and civil society.
• Increase in marriage age: Minimum age of marriage of boys and girls should be increased. The age of marriage in India has been fixed for girls at 18 years and for boys at 21 years. It should be complied with firmly in all the states. For this, we require a strong political will, accompanied by an effective system of governance.
• Balanced ratio: It is also necessary to make qualitative improvement in the population. The gap between the children should be at least five years and the number of offspring should not exceed two children per family.
• Improvement in public health services : It is necessary to pay attention to public health and cleanliness to increase man’s economic capacity. In each state, emphasis should be on pollution-free and clean environment in urban and rural areas.
• In the interest of the nation, small areas of land should also be used to their optimum limit.
• To fulfil various needs, land should be used for multipurpose production.
• Land should not be left un-utilized for any reason.
• Appropriate changes in the use of agricultural land should be made in accordance with the demand for any item.
• Land use should be determined by considerations of workers, marketing and traffic related arrangements available and the value and quantity of commodities etc.
• There is a need to improve the land system and increase agricultural production.
• In agriculture, innovative technology should be used at all levels.
• In farming, equilibration should be maintained in composting, fertilizers, seeds and pesticides.
• New mixed and useful breeds of animals should be developed.
• Wastelands, dry and other useless and marshland lands should be made useful by continuously improving upon them.
• Need for education: To improve the condition of the farmers, they need to be educated and attached with some cooperatives. With the help of government, co-operatives and other useful institutions, the farmers continue to get the opportunity to learn about loans, proper agriculture methods, education and technology. They, thus, realize that illiteracy is a curse that leads to only deprivation and destruction.
• Proper industrialization: In areas where industrial development has not reached yet, industrialization should be done promptly. Small and cottage industries should be encouraged, because small industries establish a necessary linkage and coordination between agriculture and large-scale industries, along with it between rural and urban income. By reducing the gap, they also develop other means of livelihood. This leads to the development of many subsidiary and new dwellings in the cottage and small scale sector. If small industries increase in the villages, they also absorb the burden of population.
• Proper government policies: Means of education, entertainment and employment should be increased. Our government needs to adopt such public policies that not only curb the uncontrolled growth of the number of persons, but also prevent unchecked migration of the population and the growing centralization of the people in urban areas. For the right population mix, adequate resources should be harnessed with provision of enough space and strong infrastructure.
• Promoting family planning: Spreading awareness about the contraception measures and birth control techniques is most effective method to keep the population within limit. We need to make people aware about benefits and ways of family planning in order to overcome the problem of overpopulation. It will also help them to understand the need of having one or two children at the most.

Family planning needs to be seen under its own right. Right measures will have to be implemented, force will not work, but only through discussions and persuasion, success can be achieved. Legal measures can be helpful but what is of urgent need is the social awareness and realization of responsibility in society as a whole. Other suggestions include:

• Encourage interval method rather than sterilization in family planning programme.
• Age of girl child marriage should be raised further.
• Emphasis to be laid on economic development.
• Rapid awareness campaign to be run by the government and non-governmental organizations
• New, innovative contraceptives should be explored.
• Reduction in birth and fertility rates.
• Emphasis on gender parity priority for girl education.
• Empowering women: Any woman who has many children for parenting and who passes through child deliveries repeatedly spends most of her life as a mother and wife. She is imprisoned in the four-walls of her house. She cannot play any meaningful role in her community and society until she is able to limit her family to a proper size. Family planning will not only improve family welfare, but also contribute to achieving social prosperity and personal happiness.
• Raising awareness: Fast population growth in India hinders the progress and development of the country. Reducing the existing population is not possible but it is possible to check further rise in population of our country which can overcome the problem of population growth, through spreading awareness about overpopulation.

Once people know that unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, unhealthy living conditions, depletion of natural resources and environmental problems are all results of overpopulation; they will themselves take initiatives to control the population growth.

Unbridled growth of population is certainly a problem that our country needs to overcome. The government, NGOs and the people of the society have to work together to solve the problem of overpopulation in our country. Clearly, human beings need to stop overpopulating the world. The Earth has a limited capacity and we must not tear open its bowels to feed ourselves.

Related Information:

Essay on Overpopulation in World

Essay on World Population Day

Essay on Population

Essay on Population Growth

Speech on World Population Day

Paragraph on Population

Slogans on World Population Day

World Population Day

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