INDIA By Shib Sekhar Datta

Our India Largest democracy and 6 th largest country in the world. India is a 34,000 years old country India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization. India is the third largest economy in the world with an ever growing GDP of 9.2%. Exports software to 90 countries etc etc.

Education Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. World's first university was in Takshashila in 700 BC. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine. Sushruta is the father of surgery. Aryabhatta invented the Number System. 42% doctors, 34% software engineers and 24% Scientists (In Europe and USA) - We are not Indian (Except during Diwali and religious festivals)

Comments ‘India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.’ Mark Twain ‘If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.’ Romain Rolland

Health Health care Budget just 0.9% of GDP Average amount a person spends on health care $82 45% of Children under five are malnourished Yet it has become a Hub for Medical Tourism An angioplasty that takes $50,000 in US costs just $11,000 in India.

Health !! 35.6 % reproductive age women have low BMI 30 % women (25-49) gave birth before 18 years 58 % women are married before legal age of % married women have anaemia 69.5 per cent of the children (6-59 mnth) have anaemia. Just over 50 % mothers receive 3 or more ANC visits Only 44 % children are fully immunized (NHFS-3)

Politics 25% MPs have criminal records. 99% MPs were elected despite getting less than 50% vote We have one of the lowest voter turn out at 58%. There are 173 registered political parties in India.

Economy 40 richest Indians worth $170 Billion 26% population still lives below official poverty line. Orissa - Poverty rate is 43%, Bihar - Poverty rate is 41% (Below Malawi and Ghana : one of the poorest countries in the world) Haryana - Poverty rate is 5.7 % Punjab - Poverty rate is 2.4 % (Better than Costa rica, one of the most developed countries of South America)

Economy !! 100 millions Indians are unemployed. 50 million child labour. Our manufacturing sector 1/5 th of China Contributes only 17% to GDP. 60% of country is still employed in Agriculture Contribute only 22% to GDP.

Education 33% of all illiterates of world live in India. In china this figure is just 11%. There are 200 millions children in India 50 millions do not go to School. 80,000 Schools are without Blackboard. 1,44,000 Schools have just one teacher. Literacy rate is 67% which was just 14% in 1947

Housing 100 million people live in slums. 30 millions house are required for lower and middle class. In Human Development Report of 177 nations, India is at 127 th place. (China is at 85 th and Sri Lanka at 93 rd )

Law & order We have 13 Judges per million of population. There are 3 Crore (30 million) pending cases in our courts 25.5 millions in District & Sub-district court 3.36 lakhs in High Court 39,000 in Supreme Court. We have one of the lowest conviction rate just 42.4% Japan & Russia have 99% conviction rate.

Pollution CO2 emission per ton per capita : India - 0.9, US , China and Russia Yet India generated 29,129 million litres per day of sewage out of which only 6190 MLD could be treated. Over 50% of Urban India has no access to sanitation.

Telecom Over 6 million people are getting connected every months. Total usage 100 million, more than entire population of Germany 5 th largest cellular market behind China, US, Japan & Russia. At independence, there were 1.1. Million telephones. Now this number has reached 218 millions.

Power 33% of electricity is lost or stolen during transmission and distribution. This theft rate is among highest in the world. The total power production is 12% short of demand. Only 44% rural household has access to power. Rural household did not have power for hours a day.

Corruption India system - corrupt system. Cost of corruption for India? Rs 2.5 lakh crores for 2009! Bribes for basic health services Rs crores (India Corruption study 2008). 3 crores households had to pay bribes during Agriculture, Health, Education, Law and Order Beurocratic system !!

Why so ? High population growth rate Agrarian form of economy Primitive agricultural practices Illiteracy Ignorance Unemployment and underemployment Caste based politics Urban rural divide Social iniquity and discrimination etc etc.

How to combat corruption ? Acts and Laws Right to Information Act Use it Citizens' Charter Agencies involved in combating corruption Government of India Agencies, Voluntary bodies Organized Crime, Corruption and Indian Knowledge and Action Corruption and Citizens Pressure on social and political bodies Leadership

Still we have time… To enjoy IPL matches On Miss World and Universe shows What’s going on in Abhi-Ash personal life Launch of new Mercedes Benz Green card dream and Flying abroad for job Is desk ka kuch nahi ho sakta …. How many times we have cared for our own country and our own problems ? No nation is born great - we have to make it great

‘So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them.’ Swami Vivekananda

Any thought !! Mail me