New Delhi: India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and successfully recorded great achievements in technology, infrastructure, digital payments and space research. Yet, despite of these successes, there are several critical issues that continue to be a problem for hundreds of millions of people. Many of the issues that affect the years ahead inconspicuous in the news, while others may be in focus. It is believed that besides these problems, there is no other way to India’s future growth and development.
The biggest problem is, of course, the number of pending cases in the Indian Courts. There are many cases, which have been involved in the law process for more than 10 years. This lag time impacts on people, businesses and victims of crime who are forced to wait for justice over a long period of time.
Another aspect that requires discretion is education. Access to school remains high, but there are many students who have poor literacy, numeracy, and writing skills. Experts state better school quality, not more school attendance, is as critical as increasing school enrollment, as the students of today will become the workforce of tomorrow.
Water crisis is one of the other concerns of India today too. The ground-water resources in many areas of the States are being removed at greater rates than they can be replenished. Meanwhile, water quality deterioration from refuse and industrial waste is posing increased difficulty in getting safe drinking water in some areas.
Another challenge is due to the rapid growth in urbanization. Urbanization is the rapid growth of urban areas in cities, but not always accompanied by sufficient infrastructure. In many cities, traffic woes, inadequate drainage, refuse disposal issues, and the lack of green spaces are now familiar issues. Still, despite the floods, several cities persistently experience flooding again due to poor water resource planning.
Pollution in the air is a real hazard for many. Poor air quality is not a condition confined to Delhi: there are many other cities that suffer from poor air quality. Chronic exposure to contaminated air may lead to respiratory and CV diseases.
There is a need to pay more attention to mental health too. Though awareness has increased over the years, many people still dawdle to get help due to the social stigma. Furthermore, low-income individuals are still leaving mental health care facilities alone, particularly smaller towns and rural areas.
There are challenges for India’s workforce as well. Many people work and are not employed in stable positions that provide benefits such as wages, medical insurance, pensions, etc. This puts a strain on families’ finances in a financial emergency or when someone suddenly loses their job.
The impacts of climate change are becoming more apparent throughout the country. Agriculture, public health and people’s daily life are being impacted by more heatwaves, more floods, more droughts and less predictable monsoons. Climate-smart investment in infrastructure and disaster preparedness skills are expected to grow in significance over the years to come.
There’s another rising issue, that’s related to waste management. The amount of plastic waste and electronic waste continues to rise as cities expand. Recycling is picking up, but many areas don’t have adequate systems for waste removal and collection.
Investment in public health infrastructure is also ongoing. Despite the efforts made over the years to serve patients with respect to healthcare, there are still numerous health hospitals, health centers, especially situated in rural areas, which have still not acquired sufficient numbers of doctors, medical staff, up-to-date equipment etc.
As the country quickly advances towards digitalization, so has cybercrime. With the growing popularity of online banking and digital payment systems, the risk of financial fraud and ID theft, along with phishing (a form of cyber identity theft) has risen and more urgent improvement of cybersecurity awareness and protection is required.
While India has made tremendous strides in many areas, the cooperation between governments, enterprises, scientists and citizens would be necessary for tackling these critical challenges. Addressing these issues now can contribute to the generation of a healthy, safe and prosperous India in the years to come.
