India's Development Relative to Asia

After the second world war, almost all asia come out from the grip of European Powers. Asian continent's nation builders set their ambition to make this continent as much powerful and prosperous as that of western powers.

Present Condition of Asia: An Indian Economist while looking at the east, much of the above aim have been realized. The classic example of this is Seoul(South Korea) :

1. No poverty visible on streets
2. Efficient Public Transport and Public Facilities
3. No great Inequality
4. Network of Expressways

South Korea being a backward country in 1960s, sustained high growths since transformed S-Korea to new heights. India was a leader initially and had a dominant role in Asian Diplomacy, but its role decreases and he is no longer voice of Asia now. Indian leadership has lost his position in Asia and fails to realize the central aspect of Asian Development Model (which is investing a lot in Health and Education ). India's GDP per capita is much lower than the Asian power houses. 

Health and Poverty : The great backlog of poverty is much high in comparison to other Asian countries. Even, GoI has estimated that 65% of the people in our country are poor. India's contribute just 1.2 % of its GDP on Public Health while China spent 2.7% of its GDP. India's Healthcare system is an unregulated mess. The poor rely on low quality healthcare facilities. The most basic health measure that any government can provide for its people is to immunise very young children but, in India, only 43.5 per cent of children are completely immunised, compared to 73.1 per cent in Bangladesh. India is falling behind every other South Asian countries in terms of Social Indicators except Pakistan.

Inequality: It is much high, although in China also it is the case, but China has done a lot more in increasing Life Expectancy, expand general education and healthcare of its people. India does have elite schools of varying degrees, but they are serving the privileged classes only. Among the Indians, 7 yrs or older, one in every three males and one in every five females are illiterate. Expansion of human capability is both a goal in itself and an integral element in achieving rapid growth was the basic thought behind Asian Development Model. Japan had followed this Meiji Restoration(1868) and soon become become a dominant nation and won in the Sino-Japan and Russo-Japan war, which are signs of Japan becoming dominant. India's rather than investing on Health and Education properly, it is just giving subsidies to the poor, but it is giving political parties only short term gains and also political parties do not bother as their term is only 5 year and they do not want to look for future, they have their own puppet to blow. Indian politics also runs on caste basis which widens the base of inequality.

Solution :

Health and Education is the main core of ADM. We still can understand this and revive from the problem, the thing that is needed is to obtain efficient human capital. This can be achieved through high investment in Public Healthcare Facilities, increase in number of hospitals and number of doctors, increase in hygiene and proper sanitation. This does not requires just investment, we need to take care of it and proper monitoring the standards of Hospitals. Also, we are running so many schemes in removing malnutrition among in children (which is predominant, almost 46% children are malnourished),  we are running mid-day meal schemes, Iron-Folic acid tablets being fed to adolescent girls and pregnant women. But still there is high prevalent nutrition problems. First we need to concentrate on Health. Secondly, the we need to spend and monitor our Education facilities as illiteracy in India in 2011 was 74% approximately while in China,South Korea,Japan , it is 92% ,97% and 99%. We have many schemes running , i.e Sarva Shikha Abhiyan Scheme(since 2001),Rashtriya Madhaymik Shiksha Abhiyan (since 2009). But still we are low on indicators.

       Now, if the Human Capital have been created, we need to built Physical Infrastructure to get these labor incorporated into. Although India has low Industrial Tariff rates than South Korea, but still South Korea is ahead in comparison to our Industrial Development. It is due to the same reason that Human Capital and Physical Infrastructure are built well there.

We need to built Physical Infrastructure and also need to put that infrastructure to use utilising Efficient Human Capital. We have seen the example of South Korea, Japan and China. We need to learn and act on important aspects to have our pride back which we were having earlier. We have to make our base strong to get long term gains. Political Parties have to quit vote bank politics and act what our nation requires at this stage.