State of the Nation

The 'State of the Nation' special issue brought out by Outlook Magazine is a must read. You can read it online by registering (free). It throws light on an India that most people on the outside don't see. This unseen India is not a pretty sight. In fact that's an understatement.

It is horrific !

Urban India has largely benefited from the economic unlike rural India, which has been left by the wayside. This obviously is not a reason to stop what's happening in India. It's just that, as a Nation we must not be blinded by "India shining'. We must open our eyes to harsh realities that exist, though remain unseen, especially in Urban centres.

A little excerpt from one of the articles ,

'Eerie Indicators

• As per an NCERT survey, nearly a fifth of the 25 lakh- plus full-time primary school teachers are untrained.
• A 2001 survey in Bengal’s Purulia, Birbhum, West Midnapore districts showed only 7% of those who didn’t take tuition could write their names.
• In Punjab, only 7% rural and 6% urban households use public health facilities for non-hospitalised illnesses.
• A World Bank study reveals 39% doctors play truant in state-run institutions.
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• In East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, the standard of education is so poor that students of classes five and six cannot comprehend two-digit additions.
• While the Uttar Pradesh health department claims 100 per cent immunisation, the Centre finds that the coverage is actually 30 per cent.
• In Bangalore, India’s technology hub, two girls drown in a drain because their state-run school doesn’t have a toilet and the girls were forced to go out.'