Poverty in India

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In a country with a population of 1.2 billion, not everyone can be a winner.

India's poverty problem, at least from my pespective, is bound to the fact that India's population is enormous, too large for te infrastructure as well as the economy of India to handle. It will take decaders of technological improvements and investments in sanitation, public housing, etc. for the living conditions of the urban poor in India to have livable conditions, but even then, poverty will persist, s it does in every society. India's rapid technological adances, as shown by the explosion of investment in Indian cities in the past twenty years, as well as onsumer tehnological improvements such as larger installed user bases of cell phones, and more cars on the road, give hope that the country is progressing. Technological improvements improve standards of living everywhere, so that even if the poor remain at the same income level, technological improvements will raise their living conditions. For example, the poor American 150 years ago had no access to running wter, but now running water is widespread, even in many of the poorest areas of the USA.

The technological advances that will help to at least partially alleviate the pains of poverty in India will bring their own batch of problems. As cars become more widespread, pollution and reliance on foreign oil will be serious porblems that will plague India. The dramatic rise of consumer electronics will being a host of new problems, including e-waste and the enviornmental hazards associated with the manufacture of electronics. The growth of slums is already a tremendous issue (see http://www.censusindia.gov.in/maps/Town_maps/Kolata_muni_slum_pop.aspx ). Cities will face even larger problems of expansion of slums as millions of Indian families move to the cities to escape rural poverty and provie a better life for teir offspring.

To accomadate the boom in urban population, India will have to modenize and innovate upon its existing systems and institutions. An issue currently facing urban India is the horrid conditions of garbage collectors. Though the unorganized garbage collection system is incredibly efficient, the working conditions of the trash collectors are appaling. However, considering the poverty of the garbage collectors, there is little I imagine they can do. Massive strikes across India would be massively effective, but these workers cannot afford to go on strike. They need every can they collect just to get by. Moreover, education is vital to improve the state of India. Investments in education would be crucial in raising a generation f Indians more capable of dealing with the growing pains of their nation. Sadly, the PBS documentary shows that this is not as simple as it sounds. The street children of India are often homeless because of deaths or hardship in the family and for many of them, the street is the only life they know There is a strong addiction to the freedom and danger of the street. Education is not always effective because these children do not always want to learn and better themselves, the draw of the streets is too powerful. State funded education alone will not be enough. Communities and cities will have to support organizations to raise the living standards of the Indian street children. And whenever the state gets involved in benefitting the poor, taxes must rise.

The "half" of India that lives in wealth is almost a seperate world from the poor India. Looking at the highrises and skyscrapers in Mumbai, one struggles to believe that only few miles away is a city that poverty, crime, and hardship on a scale that the rich Indians can hardly imagine (http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/6923/cimg4569.jpg ). These rich Indians will not be put on the street by new taxes to benefit the Indian lower class. However, new taxes will impede the 9% exeonomic growth that India is experiencing year after year. A surefire way to drive away foreign investment is trough raised taxes and regulations, and it is this foreign investment that India is depending upon for its massive economic growth. Therefore, government intervention in the lives of the Indian poor is difficult for me to imagine. To improve the lives of the poor, new taxes will have to be imposed, which will surely urt business. Considering how most highre-ups in governments around the world are wealthy or involved in business in some way, I find it hard to imagine that the Indian government will yield to pressure for immense welfare and social programs on a scale of FDR's New Deal welfare programs.

The government cannot help the Indian poor as much as the poor need. However, the rapidly growing economy, as well as increased technological advances and foreign investments will benefit India. It is uncertain, owever, how much of this growth will ever actualy reach the Indian poor, rather than being enjoyed solely by the upper and upper middle classes. Massive reform, soail, governmental, and economic will be required for India to truly make significant progress in its poverty issue. The coming years will show if India's rapid and ongoing growth and industrialization will improve the lives of those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder of India.

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