(Rishitha Jaladi, Intern Journalist)Vijayawada: India is emerging as a global power. The magnificent growth in the economy over the last three decades has made it, one of the powerful nations in the world. Looking ahead to 2030, India will have a unique demographic dividend. Simply put, It will be the only young nation in this aging world.
Earlier in the ’60s and ’70s, people were considered a burden, but now we say people are an asset. We name them Human Capital. Eventually, the mindset of people changed in the past 10-15 years. Everyone has their view of looking at things. Looking through the transformation of Ideas, especially in a democratic society like ours, Ideas are the root cause of change. Slowly, ideas lead to ideologies, policies, and development. These Ideas changed the status of India.
Along with the progress, India has to face a new assemblage of global challenges. Can India come up against these stumbling blocks despite having more than 100 million living in poverty, with a nominal per capita monthly income of 1000 dollars?
Most of these challenges are unspoken and unheard. An extraordinary edition published in 2010 asked whether India was now ready to fly? Finally concluded it was not! India, so-called the caged phoenix earlier is now a full-fledged power. Yet a million-dollar rupee question is, Can India tackle these global issues?
In a declaration, India proposed a Millenium Development Goal in 2000 and pledged to achieve these goals by 2015. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. We all dreamt of 2020. It was an ideal year for all Indians, and we expected to reach our goals at least by 2020. But everything went in vain, due to the Corona Virus Outbreak. The economy of the entire world, including India, collapsed.
There is no doubt, India is going through the tough times, but together we can come up against global challenges. In my view, the root cause of all these challenges is Overpopulation. India is now the second-most populous country in the world. But according to the UN population trends, India will soon beat china and reach the zenith.
If the same situation prevails, by 2030, we will have just 30% of the food available today. The food-producing sectors adulterate to provide food notably more than the total food produced, Which inturn leads to ill health and less immunity. But, If we want to have a future for this world, if we desire to live well on this planet, the only way is to bring down the human population. And we can do that only by birth control.
We think we exist because of our improved economies! No, we prevail because we are still connected and related to nature. In a quest for a better life, Anthropogenic actions deteriorate nature’s beauty and essence. However, the lockdown has turned to be a boon for biodiversity. The air is fresh and clean again. The Ozone hole healed amid lockdown.
Of course, when I talk about nature and Environment, How can Plastic Pollution escape? It’s a polymer that killed many on the planet. Along with terrestrial plastic pollution, Oceanic plastic pollution is a huge concern today! There is more plastic than fish in the water bodies. Many living organisms die of plastic consumption. But the question is How to avoid plastic? Plastic is everywhere, starting from a toothbrush to a Water bottle, everything is plastic! Small changes in our lifestyle can bring a tremendous difference. For instance, We can contribute to the eco-friendly environment by using a wooden brush, Paper bag, and a steel bottle.
Unemployment is coupled with overpopulation. The emergence of new technologies has replaced human labor. machinery took its place. We need skill India. Everybody is in universities today. We live in the universe, not in universities. Unfortunately, youth are not highly productive. And youth without a purpose is a dangerous possibility always. The youth should be skilled. Education intends to impart knowledge, and knowledge is power. Here education doesn’t only mean what you learn in schools and colleges. its learning life, It’s learning you. Youth shouldn’t look for a job, they should generate employment becoming entrepreneurs.
Our survival here is not because of our economic activity, No. we live well here because the air is pure, the water is flowing, everything is green and beautiful. This idea has to go into everyone’s mind. We should be conscious of life other than human life. The nature and water bodies around us will decide the quality of life we live in. That quality today has degraded and lead to climate change.
Climate change is a global issue today. Before blaming people as a whole, realize that humans have existed on the Earth for thousands of years without significantly impacting the environment until the past two centuries on the onset of mass industrialization and agriculture. So do not say humans are cancer who does not deserve the Earth, but the problem is how we are living the modern life.
Human society is living with the highest standards in history, but modern life comes with costs. Consumerism with one use products such as wrappers and boxes for the products some people take granted for creates a lot of trash. The electricity we use for all our mechanical processes is mostly created by burning fossil fuels (Renewable Energy such as solar can only do so much). The Cars and computers that you use to live your modern life were created by factories that emit greenhouse gases and require the mining of resources that shift the surface.
Here is the hard truth. Consumerism and modern life is a great life, but that comes with clear costs. If we really want to protect the Earth, then know that the human race as a whole must sacrifice many of its wants and desires and basically live with less in order to leave a smaller environmental impression. Until people decide a way to collect and recycle the waste generated by continuous buying, spending, and throwing away our trash, This is a pragmatic way that we can choose to protect the planet in the long run.
In my view, the only way to tackle climate change is to shift from unconscious consumerism to Conscious consumption, conscious living and conscious production could be the way to tackle climate change. Fixing climate change can save the planet.
Poverty is definitely an unbeatable challenge to India. 5.5% of India’s population lives in extreme poverty. Every day more than a hundred people die of hunger and malnutrition. Ten thousand years ago, living in a cave and something to cover yourself was a luxury. Today we have created so many things for our well being. Our standards of prosperity are completely unrealistic and ecologically unsustainable.
In spite of having enormous experience in agriculture, land that produces for complete twelve months, half the people are hungry. poverty and hunger in India can easily be taken care of if everyone who is in a state of some capability stands up to make it happen.
Farmers are the greatest asset to our country. They are the backbones of our society. But In the near future, we will hardly see any Farmers. In the good olden days, farming is not a profession its a way of living. But in the years to come farming will only be a business. In the 73 years, since 1947 as a nation, we have many achievements. Our businesses have been built, Our scientists have done incredible things. But the greatest achievement in India is that our farmers with very minimal infrastructure without any great modern scientific knowledge, just armed with traditional practices and feeding 1.25 billion people.
A farmer keeps searching for his life in every seed he sows, in a hope of succeeding. But we have treated them so badly, that in the last 10-12 years over three lack farmers committed suicide. If this continues, the asst we pass on to the next generations will not be sufficient for medical expenses. The price of land is rising and the value of farmers is coming down. If we go on constructing buildings in agricultural lands, what will we eat? That’s why no farmer today wishes his son to be a farmer.
Already our generation doesn’t know what agriculture is all about. And the future generation will know of it in history books. Farmers once used to live with courage. But now the same farmer is living in fear. he is scared to sow a crop not knowing if there’s enough water. If there is water, he is scared if he can reap the crop. If he reaps, he is scared of protecting it. And with the same fear, he is selling off the crop at a throwaway price. The buyer is selling the same ten times in the market. So the person growing and the person consuming are loosing. I believe consumers should have a direct relation with the farmers. Where they can buy quality food at sensible prices. This is a favor we do to ourselves. Farmers don’t need our Sympathy. They need respect and we owe them that respect.
The most important reasons why farmers are suffering is serious degradation and depletion of water resources and soil condition. This will be a global challenge India has to fight forever. Is water scarcity due to late or bad monsoons, or is there a deeper cause that we are missing? We moved towards 74th Independence day, and the time has come to free India from the water crisis. In tropical nations the only source of water is monsoons. Our rivers on average have depleted over 40%. The groundwater level has depleted substantially. Even Water will be a precious resource in the coming years.
The only way to end this crisis is to put back at least 1/3rd land under the shade, and groundwater will replenish in the near future. Based on this a project was designed to plant 2.42 billion trees in the next 12 years in the Cauvery basin. So the volume of water we sequester will be 9 trillion liters. which is more than 45% of Cauvery right now. It’s not only about Cavery, but with every water body in India, to nurture a holistic environment.
Coming next is health. India has terrible health issues. We have a higher rate of cardiac problems, diabetes, and obesity. The recent Corona Virus is a test for all our immune systems. Hence, we need to rethink and improve our strategies to the other extreme of health.
The next thing is Technology. We have moved along from the age of rock science to the age of rocket science. The whole world is in our hands. I see Artificial Intelligence today as an intellectual language that will soon become a common language. Our personal computers and mobiles are going to talk back to us in a way we cannot imagine now. Automation and robotics are shaping how we work. Artificial Intelligence integrated with human intelligence is the future, and that future is now.
India still lacks technically. Its been months since the virus broke and we don’t have a suitable testing technology yet. Along with Technology, the field of Heath and Research have to raise. Government Should provide funds and invest more in the field of research.
Though ages went by gender equality is still a major hurdle. Whenever women work in any field, starting from the police force to politics, their capabilities are always questioned. Every woman goes to a test of fire each day. After years of struggle, a new era of equality is approaching. women should get equal opportunities to explore different possibilities. Equality is a long way off! It will be a big thing if women get their fair share.
The Game-changing factor with every country is its education policy. Earlier Indian Education system was more theoretical than being a way more practical. But the recent Educational policy 2020 made India’s hopeful of their future’s. But still, the teaching and learning methods have to improve on a large scale. India can overcome this challenge by planning and implementing the right policies. India has to increase its literacy rate. In the coming years, we need a 100% literacy rate to sustain better.
“The fate and future of India lie in its villages,” said Mahatma Gandhi. But now, Globalisation, Industrialization, and Urbanisation have cribbed the development of rural areas. Cities turned out to be the centres of excellence, innovation, and economic growth. Internal globalization is restricted to cities, while a lot of production is from villages. Infrastructural changes should be introduced. Basically, Education and improvement in literacy rate will improve the living standards of people living in villages.
And of course, the never-ending challenge that India is facing from thousands of years is the Caste System. This system essentially began as the division of labor, for a society to function effectively. Initially, based on the work they do, there were four basic divisions, and over a period of time, they were divided further, not essentially as a discrimination process, but more as a division of labor. But Somehow, one thinks superior over the other, and over generations, superiority got established. And the cast system was completely manifested.
Many low caste people don’t even have basic human rights in many villages, though much has changed in the past 20-25 years. We can change this by bringing a nationwide social security system where everyone feels for the other in a sense of brotherhood. And the education system should transmit skills to everybody according to their aptitude. Once that happens, the Caste system will have a natural death.
Coming up next is Sustainable development, which is the need of the hour. Over consumerism is the main reason for resource depletion. Today, we live in a world of comfort. We have resources, which are more than essential. All the issues mentioned above are global challenges because resources are exploited, talking from fuels to minerals, everything is consumed over demand. Years together we are debating and questioning about sustainable development. This can be accomplished by sharing resources. In this Hitech world, everyone’s family has more than 2-3 vehicles. This is over usage of resources. Hence, Resource sharing will aid in sustainable development.
Finally, India is a developing country, and in a developing country, so much is still undone. Though the nation has taken many great strides, in terms of economy, business, technology, and establishing the serenity of the nation. All these things have been done in the hunger for development. In trying to fulfill the possibilities for the population that we have. Because we must understand, the average life expectancy in 1947 was 28 years. And today its nearly 70 or more. We have come a long way as a nation. In all these efforts one thing we ignored was nature. One thing, however, is sure: no success comes without difficulties. We must free India from all the challenges mentioned above. Attaining political freedom is one thing, but ensuring that many generations of people, who will be in this nation beyond us, also live well.
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