India: the next superpower
only 10% of working-age women were actually working (compared with 69% in China). 20 High unemployment and underemployment can disrupt social cohesion and hinder growth; lowering unemployment would raise the productive efficiency of India’s economy and help to sustain India’s growth rates. India’s unemployed and under -employed represent a vast untapped resource but, to exploit that resource, India must create more full-time jobs, train them with the necessary skills and persuade them to work. India requires substantial investment in its human capital. 25% of Indians are illiterate. 21 Improving their literacy and numeracy would increase their employability. However, investment in school education generally takes at least 10-20 years before producing results in the workforce, so India must also invest in adult education. In 2009, an NGO, the Saakshar Bharat Mission, was launched ‘to impart functional literacy to 70 million non- literate adults’ 22 above 15 years of age. This hugely successful initiative had an immediate impact. Between 2010 to 2018, it helped 76.93 million people to pass literacy tests held by the National Institute of Open Schooling. 23 However, the Indian government cannot rely solely on NGO missions to improve adult numeracy and literacy rates. India’s current spend on education (4.6% of GDP) might have to rise. Since its constitution was adopted on 26 th July 1950, India has been the world’s largest democracy. Indian democracy withstood the Maoist revolution in China and the spread of communism. Further, unlike Pakistan, India does not have a history of military coups. However, India’s democracy has of ten been tumultuous, with frequent political assassinations. 24 While Narendra Modi and his Hindu- nationalist BJP party have been in power since 2014, bringing a degree of political stability and economic consistency, they have been accused of restricting civil liberties. 25 Colonial-era anti-sedition laws have been used to arrest those showing political dissent in posters, social-media posts, slogans and other personal communications. In 2022 alone, Modi’s government implemented 22 internet shutdowns to frustrate the co-ordination of public protests. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 was amended in 2019 to enable the government to designate individuals as terrorists without any formal judicial process. Modi is also accused of exploiting parliamentary procedures to avoid proper
20 Again, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) – see Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? - BBC News. Consulted 2/8/24. 21 TIMESOFINDIA.COM, ‘75 Years, 75% Literacy: India’s Long Fight Against Illiteracy,’ The Times of India , August 14, 2022, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/75-years-75-literacy-indias-long-fight-against- illiteracy/articleshow/93555770.cms. Consulted 5/8/24. 22 ‘Education - Sakshar Bharat,’ n.d., https://www.saksharbharat.in/education.php. 23 ‘The Saakshar Bharat Mission,’ July 14, 2022, https://blogs.griffith.edu.au/inclusive-digital- economies/2022/07/14/the-saakshar-bharat-mission/. Consulted 5/8/24. 24 TOI News Desk, ‘List of Assassinated Indian Politicians,’ The Times of India , July 17, 2024, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/list-of-assassinated-indian-politicians/articleshow/111801402.cms. Consulted 13/8/24. 25 Justin Daniels, ‘Why India’s Democracy Is Dying | Journal of Democracy,’ Journal of Democracy, June 7, 2024, https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/why-indias-democracy-is-dying/. Consulted 13/8/24
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