There have been a buzz of India
regarding its health issues, poverty and sanitation problems even though it is
one of the rising economic powers in the current time. Following highlights the
state of India.
Literacy: 74%
Life expectancy : 68%
Most Polluted City in the world : New Delhi
Open Defecation : 50 % (620 million)
more than the
population of Europe or twice that of USA
Poor people : 179.6 million in 2013
(20.6% share of world's
poor but 17.5% share of global population )
It is often compared that India has more poor people than that of all the African countries combined. The
sorry state of environment are due to unplanned industrialization, illegal mining
and waste mismanagement are some of the burning issues of India. In addition to
these, the rampant open defection (50%) has not only posed environmental problem but
also have created the situation of cholera, dysentery and many more. To compare
this Bangladesh has only 3% open
defecation and China just 1%. In spite of the fact that there is increased
calorie intake than the previous time, the defecation has increased the exposure
to the diseases thereby not only causing death but also making stunting and intelligence
problems in children thereby continuing the vicious cycle of poverty. The track
record on public funding for the sanitation is just 1 (($400 million) compared to 60 ($26 billion) for food and job sectors. This has huge
repercussions to the Indian society as sick society can not prosper in long run.
According to the research recently reported in New York Times, INDIA HAS BECOME RISKY PLACE TO RAISE CHILDREN.
It
is great concern to Nepal (population just 26 million) because it has free
entry system with India. Millions of people cross the border for education,
shopping, medicine and tourism. Moreover, being a big neighbor its impact is
obviously high. Any untoward incident in India has sever repercussions in
Nepal. It is hoped that: More the India prosper the more the Nepal will prosper. As development is contagious and in fact the trickling effect of prosperity will benefit Nepal too. In
this context the poor and sick states of India (Bimaru states in Hindi) are
Bihar, UP and Bengal which are the biggest population bases (more than 400 million ) of India are the border of Nepal. It is high
time that Indian society and government should come forward in sanitation culture
and bring the clean and hygiene society not only for its benefit but also for
the global health concerns. All countries including Japan (which has severe
obsession on cleanliness and sanitation) should help India. Even Nepal should help India in by sharing its positive experiences (like Attitude and Practice) in
sanitation and health sectors.
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