Strangest Global Power

[Ali.009]

INDIA, A GLOBAL POWER LED BY
700 MILLION CITIZENS WITHOUT SANITATION​

Scroll down to the international section on the NYT homepage, and you’ll see an article titled “In India, Water Crisis Means Foul Sludge:”

In the richest city in India, with the nation’s economy marching ahead at an enviable clip, middle-class people like Mrs. Prasher are reduced to foraging for water. Their predicament testifies to the government’s astonishing inability to deliver the most basic services to its citizens at a time when India asserts itself as a global power.

The crisis, decades in the making, has grown as fast as India in recent years. A soaring population, the warp-speed sprawl of cities, and a vast and thirsty farm belt have all put new strains on a feeble, ill-kept public water and sanitation network.

The combination has left water all too scarce in some places, contaminated in others and in cursed surfeit for millions who are flooded each year. Today the problems threaten India’s ability to fortify its sagging farms, sustain its economic growth and make its cities healthy and habitable. At stake is not only India’s economic ambition but its very image as the world’s largest democracy.

Same old song: India’s economy is bludgeoning forward. I’m not sure even what this means, especially in light of the frightening facts that Sengupta herself provides:

An even bigger problem than demand is disposal. New Delhi can neither quench its thirst, nor adequately get rid of the ever bigger heaps of sewage that it produces. Some 45 percent of the population is not connected to the public sewerage system.

Those issues are amplified nationwide. More than 700 million Indians, or roughly two-thirds of the population, do not have adequate sanitation. Largely for lack of clean water, 2.1 million children under the age of 5 die each year, according to the United Nations.

The government says that 9 out of 10 Indians have access to the public water supply, but that may include sources that are going dry or are contaminated.

In spite of this, she sets the discourse’s stage by reminding us that India’s “economy is marching ahead,” it is the “world’s largest democracy,” and it is a “global power.” A global power led by whom? An army of hundreds of millions of thirsty mouths, hungry bellies, and emaciated bodies?





A BROKEN RECORD

Both writers reiterate ad nauseam that “India’s economy is growing.” Why do writers continue to describe India as a “global power” and constantly refer to its “economic growth” when they themselves point out the ugly realities that India faces? For the fear of sounding redundant, because I know I have asked this in previous posts, what the hell does “economic growth” mean when people don’t even have drinking water and proper sanitation? Where in the world is the “growth”? The writer of the first article is besides himself that “any visitor” to India notices the “effervescent economy and the bubbling confidence.” Do those same visitors notice, say, the slums dotting the landscapes of major Indian cities? Have they been stopped by the innumerable beggars?

Still, you have to give the NYT credit for having published both these articles on the same edition, since it appears that they are in a honeymoon period with India Shining. But like a starry eyed lover who is gradually learning his/her partner’s faults as the displeasurable traits begin to dawn on him/her, the NYT is noticing that India Shining also has a dark side.

But then again, it doesn’t matter. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is….Beep.

 

[ashfaque]

Though I can understand your usual intension posting such kind of articles.... Any way in India this issue has already been discussed in mass public around 4 years back in General election for Parliament. At that time BJP tried to project India as supper power and gave a slogan "Indian Shining". Indian people had totally rejected the slogan and BJP lost the power.

We all know India is still a poor country, large number of people do not have one time food, dont talk about sanitation and education and health services....

But only fools can deny the growth story of current India..... There is paradigm shift in current Indian generation, they are more confident and positive in approach. I do not think any south asian country could create same confidence in their youth...

 

[cooldude]

INDIA, A GLOBAL POWER LED BY
700 MILLION CITIZENS WITHOUT SANITATION​

Scroll down to the international section on the NYT homepage, and you’ll see an article titled “In India, Water Crisis Means Foul Sludge:”



Same old song: India’s economy is bludgeoning forward. I’m not sure even what this means, especially in light of the frightening facts that Sengupta herself provides:



In spite of this, she sets the discourse’s stage by reminding us that India’s “economy is marching ahead,” it is the “world’s largest democracy,” and it is a “global power.” A global power led by whom? An army of hundreds of millions of thirsty mouths, hungry bellies, and emaciated bodies?





A BROKEN RECORD

Both writers reiterate ad nauseam that “India’s economy is growing.” Why do writers continue to describe India as a “global power” and constantly refer to its “economic growth” when they themselves point out the ugly realities that India faces? For the fear of sounding redundant, because I know I have asked this in previous posts, what the hell does “economic growth” mean when people don’t even have drinking water and proper sanitation? Where in the world is the “growth”? The writer of the first article is besides himself that “any visitor” to India notices the “effervescent economy and the bubbling confidence.” Do those same visitors notice, say, the slums dotting the landscapes of major Indian cities? Have they been stopped by the innumerable beggars?

Still, you have to give the NYT credit for having published both these articles on the same edition, since it appears that they are in a honeymoon period with India Shining. But like a starry eyed lover who is gradually learning his/her partner’s faults as the displeasurable traits begin to dawn on him/her, the NYT is noticing that India Shining also has a dark side.

But then again, it doesn’t matter. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is growing. India’s economy is….Beep.

India is what many people call "Failed government, Successful country". Not many governments in India were successful and not many leaders in India were visionary. But inspite of this its one of the fastest growing economy in the world, 300m middle class population,a emerging global power which is making strides in science, technology and finance and second highest FDI destination.

Lack of political will makes it very difficult to implement projects in India. However I am positive that slowly things have started to move and as people become aware they will demand more from their leaders. Indian media is still not matured but they do bring these problems into lime light. As people become richer and aware, these topics will become election issues on which local governments will be elected and thus forcing them to solve them. Another problem is there has been a rapid urbanization of India and government machinery hasn`t been able to keep pace with it. Things do get implemented in India though after a long delay and thus I am positive that this number of 700M will come down. Another reason why the articles says 700 million people is because high population of India lives in states of U.P., Bihar, Orissa and Bengal which haven`t seen much economic progress.

The reason article talks about economic growth again and again is because that is the solution of our problems. It`s been 61 years after Independence and we have made good progress (ofcourse not great) and we shall see the fruits of economic growth reaching the poor.

 

[jeypore]

Why do writers continue to describe India as a “global power” and constantly refer to its “economic growth”

There is a simple answer to these two words.

First the Global Power--There is legally no definition of this word. So writter can apply this to any country.

Second the Economic Growth--steady growth in the productive capacity of the economy (and so a growth of national income). Well certaintly that really applies to India and Pakistan. Since both countries GNP has not been negative from there excistence.

So, i really do not understand the problem when Indian writters uses these two words.