India Today

Kashmir

• Debate over who Kashmir belongs to

• Was ruled by Hindu prince, most of population was Muslim

• Kashmir wants to remain independent

• India and Pakistan both want the land

Kashmir: The Ceasefire

• Debate over Kashmir escalated in violence

• United Nations stepped in to call for a ceasefire– Divided Kashmir between India and Pakistan– The result appeased no one

• Pakistan wants a vote, India does not• Fighting continues

– India believes Pakistan is funding Kashmir rebels

Hot Topics Grow Hotter

• Both India and Pakistan cultivated nuclear programs

• International community called for de-escalation

• Religious strife in both countries keep things tense between the two

• Attacks on Mumbai suspected to trace back to a Pakistan-based organization

Environmental Issues• Deforestation

– Chipko movement

• Modernization process destroying natural resources

• Pollution• Building dams• Destroying wildlife• Damaging farmland

Farming

• Heart of many countries economy• ¾ live in rural areas (70%)

– Most provide just enough for their families– Getting better– Poor transportation hurts distribution

• Outdated farming methods– Bullock drawn plows

• Monsoons – Arrive to late or early– Too much or too little

• Much of the land still lacks enough water• Green Revolution (1960s) increased farming

productivity

Overpopulation• July 2008 estimate:

1,147,995,904 • Disease and infant

mortality have decreased

• Population grows faster than food supply

• Not enough jobs, schools, housing

• Government supporting family planning– “A Small Family Is A

Happy Family”

Poverty • Over half the population is still incredibly poor

• About one-third lives in poverty

• Rural areas often cut off from cities– ¾ of the people live in rural

areas

Modernizing Village Life

• Half of the Indian villages do not have electricity and only a some have running water

• Still unequal treatment of boys and girls• But they are growing

– Schools, clinics, telephones, movies, TVs– Roads, buses

• Better health care

India’s Appeal to Western Business

• Most people speak English– Important in global market– U.S. companies invest

• World’s largest democracy– Laws and familiarity– Sets it apart from China

The Middle Class

• Rapidly growing• More than 150 Million people• Repatriatization

– Leave India for better opportunities in 1970s and 1980s

– Now returning and building economy

• Businesses helping to provide opportunities for other Indians

Education

• At its independence, literacy rate was 10%– >1/2 the children went to school

• ~80% today attend school, 52% literacy rate

• School is technically mandatory for children under 14– Still subject to values (boys go more than

girls, rich go more than poor)

• Literacy is higher among men, and among upper castes

Growing Industries

• Used to import most of their goods• Trying to be less dependent• Producing more and more goods

– Textile– Consumer goods

• See three types of industries – Cottage

• Families produce goods in their own homes• Add to the farming income• Provide jobs for villagers• Make goods like woven fabrics, pottery, brassware, jewelry, leather

goods– Privately owned small industries

• Employs fewer then 100 workers• Simple machinery• Make goods like bicycle parts, shoes carpets

– Large scale industries• For example mining, iron and steel• Can be privately or government owned

The Power of Choice• Opened economy

to foreign trade– Nehru set up a

socialist economy

• “Emperors of Choice”

• Cutting Monopolies– Airlines– Appliances– Television

channels

Divisive Forces

• Caste System– Government trying to open doors; providing

government jobs for lower castes or untouchables

– Resistance from upper classes• But what about my job?

• Cultural Diversity– Ethnic separatists

• Sikh Separatism– Religious minority who wants a separate

state

• Hindu-Muslim Clashes

Bollywood!• Most movies in India are

musicals– Musical television caught

on quickly– Music video countdowns

usually clips from Bollywood movies

• Half the Indian population is under 20

• TV companies starting up by non television businesses

• Growing by 30%-40% per year