India
Despite India's emergence as a political and economic world
power, there exist unacceptable levels of inequality between rich and poor.
While India has made good progress on reducing infant mortality, raising school attendance rates and improving access to clean water, it is primarily the urban middle class who are benefiting from the country's development.
Over 250 million people live below the poverty line in India and 47% of children under the age of three are malnourished. 80% of India's poor live in rural areas and many lack access to nutritious food, healthcare and basic sanitation. Environmental degradation, a growing population, ethnic strife and HIV/AIDS pose substantial challenges to India's development.
Dalit and Adivasi communities
The poorest and most marginalised groups in India are the dalit and adivasi communities. Both groups face discrimination and significant obstacles to building secure livelihoods and they are often unable to access government services to which they are entitled.
Dalits
In India, the majority of the population are part of the Hindu caste system. Dalits, a group of 160 million, are considered to be below the caste system and "untouchable". Caste has traditionally regulated every aspect of a Hindu's life and dalits have been forced to do the most menial jobs and been denied social, economic and political opportunities. The Government has now outlawed such oppression but dalits continue to be marginalised and 45% live in poverty. The lack of social status lies at the heart of dalit poverty and they continue to face discrimination and lack access to education, healthcare and good employment opportunities.
Adivasi
There are more than 700 adivasi (tribal) communities in India. Traditionally outside of the Hindu religion, adivasis have long been marginalised in society. For thousands of years, many of the adivasi have lived in the forest and depended on it for their livelihood collecting non-timber produce like medicinal plants, spices and honey. Following Indian Independence, the government introduced programmes to integrate the adivasi into society and develop their land. The governing elites have increasingly taken control of this land, dispossessing the adivasi communities of their land and livelihood. Today 85% of the adivasi live below the poverty line and they continue to be marginalised in society.
India at a glance
- Life expectancy: 64 years
- Literacy rates: 70.2% (male) 48.3% (female)
- Child malnutrition (under 3 years): 47%
- Rural access to basic sanitation (toilets): 19%
