The many Indias

For my non-Indian readers, just to put this article in perspective: A 500 ml bottle of coke would cost about Rs. 20; a small bar of chocolate anywhere between Rs. 10 and Rs. 35. About Rs. 40 make 1 USD.

Given all the rhetoric about how much the Indian economy, and especially the consumer goods sector, is growing so fast, think about what this article means about the many Indias there are.

Where does one even begin fighting that?

A suffering Bharat vs shining India

Rahul Shrivastava

14 February 2008

It seems that the policies made in Parliament have gone just one way, away from the poor. The latest reminder is a survey by the National Sample Survey Organisation, which is asking a question - What can you do with just Rs 12 a day? Going in search of livelihood / Photo credit: NDTV Twenty per cent people in rural India have only Rs 12 a day, of which each person spends just Rs 7 on food. In Orissa and Chhattisgarh, 44% people live this life. Ever wondered why people migrate from villages to cities? The survey says life is a shade better in urban India where 22% people spend Rs 19 daily. In urban Bihar, 56% live on this amount. The Minister for Rural Development says the government's policies are insensitive. ''There are lobbies helping the rich, not the poor. There are now hundred thousand crorepatis (millionaires). But there is no clear policy for poor,'' said Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Rural Development Minister. The devil as usual lies in the detail. On an average, people in villages spend 10% on fuel, 8% on milk, 5% on sugar and 3% on education. That's why any crisis, especially medical, pushes them towards loan sharks as rural Indians earn and spend. Saving has become a luxury. Economists feel the government cannot pretend to be surprised by the dismal figures. ''Imagine spending Rs 7-8 per person on food. Then in rural households, the man gets food first the woman last. That means weak women, weak children and that is why there's such high incidence of stunted children,'' said Rajiv Kumar, Director, ICRIER. The Parliament makes policies for the nation. But policies have ended up creating two nations, with one getting richer. Surveys are just a reminder about the other bigger entity getting poorer. Source: NDTV

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