Knowledge Is the Real Development

"If you are educated and have knowledge then you can create wonders" by Anonymous 

If Our nation is developing then there is a single reason behind that and that is the day to day growth of the education sector in our county. Our nations educational development started just after our constitution is formed. The road was patchy but somehow we managed to take a pace. lets hear the story of the development of India's educational field.

In Initial days our Government decided to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14. But this aim could not be achieved yet.

In First Five Year Plan 7.9% of total plan outlay was allocated for education. In Second and Third Plan, the allocations were 5.8% and 6.9% of the total plan outlay. In Ninth Plan only 3.5% of the total outlay was allocated for education.

To streamline the education, the Govt. implemented the recommendations of Kothari Commission under ‘National Policy on Education’ in 1968. The main recommendations were universal primary education. Introduction of new pattern of education, three language formula, introduction of regional language in higher education, development of agricultural and industrial education and adult education.

To combat the changing socio-economic needs of the country, Govt. of India announced a new National Policy on Education in 1986. Universalisation of primary education, vocationalisation of secondary education and specialisation of higher education were the main features of this policy.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) at National level and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) at State level were established to maintain the standard of education. University Grants Commission (UGC) was instituted to determine the standard of higher education.

The following points explain the development of education in India after independence:

1. Expansion of General Education:

During the period of planning there has been expansion of general education. In 1951, the percentage of literacy was 19.3. In 2001 the literacy percentage increased to 65.4%. The enrolment ratio of children in the age group of 6-11 was 43% in 1951 and in it became 100% in 2001.

Primary education – been free and compulsory. Midday meal has been started in schools since 1995 to check drop-out rate. The number of primary schools has risen by three times from 2.10 lakh (1950-51) to 6.40 lakhs (2001-02). There were only 27 universities in 1950-51 which increased to 254 in 2000-01.

2. Development of Technical Education:

Besides general education, technical education plays important role in human capital formation. The Govt. has established several Industrial Training Institutes, Polytechnics, Engineering colleges and Medical and Dental colleges, Management institutes etc.

These are given below:

(a) Indian Institute of Technology:

For education and research in engineering and technology of international standard, seven institutes have been established at Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Chennai, Khargpur, Roorkee and Gauhati, Technical education is imparted here both for graduation and post-graduation and doctorate level.

(b) National Institute of Technology (NIT):

These institutes impart education in engineering and technology. These were called Regional College of Engineering (REC). These are 17 in number throughout the country. There are other institutes in the country to teach engineering and technical education.

(c) Indian Institute of Management:

These institutes impart education in business management and administration. These institutes are located at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode.

(d) Medical education:

There were only 28 medical colleges in the country in 1950-51. There were 165 medical and 40 dental colleges in the country in 1998-99.

(e) Agricultural education:

Agricultural Universities have been started in almost all States to improve production and productivity of agriculture. These universities impart education and research in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and veterinary sciences etc.

3. Women education:

In India, literary among women was quite low. It was 52% according to 2001 census. While the literacy among men was 75.8%. Women education was given top priority in National Policy on Education. Many State Governments have exempted the tuition fee of girl’s up to university level. Separate schools and colleges have been established to raise level of literacy among women.

4. Vocational education:

National Policy of Education, 1986, aims at vocationalisation of secondary education. Central Govt. has been giving grants to State Governments to implement the programme since 1988. Agriculture, Pisciculture, diary, poultry, typing, electronics, mechanical and carpentry etc. had been included in higher secondary curriculum.

5. Growth of higher education:

In 1951, there were 27 universities. Their number increased to 254 in 2001. In Orissa state, there was only one university in 1951. Now there are 9 universities.

6. Non-formal education:

This scheme was launched on an experimental basis from the Sixth plan and on regular basis from Seventh plan. The aim was to achieve universal elementary education to all children in the age group of 6-14 years. The scheme was meant for those children who cannot attend schools regularly and for full time due to poverty and pre-occupation with other works.

The Central Govt. is providing assistance to State Govt. and voluntary organisation to implement the scheme. Non-formal education centres have been set up in remote rural areas, hilly and tribal areas and in slums. These impart education to children of 6-14 age group.

7. Encouragement to Indian Language and Culture:

After the adoption of National Policy of Education 1968, regional language became the medium of instruction in higher education. Syllabus on science and technology, dictionaries, books, and Question Papers are translated into regional languages. Indian history and culture have been included in school and college curriculum.

8. Adult education:

Simply speaking adult education refers to the education for the illiterate people belonging to the age group of 15-35 years. The National Board of Adult Education was established in the First Five Year Plan. The village level workers were assigned the job of providing adult education. The progress remained not too good.

The National Adult Education Programme was started in 1978. The programme is considered as a part of primary education. National Literary Mission was also started in 1988 to eradicate adult illiteracy particularly in rural areas.

The Centre gives assistance to states, voluntary organisations and some selected universities to implement this programme. There were 2.7 lakh adult education centres working in the country in 1990-91. This programme helped to raise the literacy rate to 65.38% in 2001.

9. Improvement of Science education:

Central Govt. started a scheme for the improvement of science education in schools in 1988. Financial assistance is given to provide science kits, up gradation of science laboratories, development of teaching material, and training of science and mathematics teachers. A Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) was set up in NCERT to purchase equipment for State Institutes of Educational Technology.

10. Education for all:

According to 93rd Amendment, education for all has been made compulsory. The elementary education is a fundamental right of all children in the age group of 6-14 years. It is also free. To fulfill this obligation Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) has been launched.

The above discussion makes it clear that a lot of development in education has been made in India after Independence. There is wide growth in general education and higher education. Efforts have been made to spread education among all sections and all regions of the country. Still our education system is ridden with problems.

Author: Pooja Mehta

The healthcare boom

Life is long and thanks to healthcare development

A decrease in death rates is considered one of the major achievements that came India’s way in this sector. While life expectancy was around 37 years in 1951, it almost doubled to 65 years by 2011. Infant mortality has also seen a marked decline with death rate coming down to half of what it was during the 50s. Similar improvement was noticed in maternal mortality rate also.
After a long-drawn struggle, India has finally been declared a polio-free country. Malnutrition in children under five years came down to 44% in 2006 from 67% in 1979. Government’s efforts yielded result as the number of tuberculosis cases also got reduced to 185 per lakh people in 2009. The cases of HIV-infected people are also witnessing a declining trend. Besides increased public health spending (about 6% of the GDP), the government has launched a series of ambitious initiatives including ‘Healthcare for all by 2020′ and distribution of free medicines to the people falling under lowest-income group.

The Story of Green Revolution in India

Introduction

The Green Revolution in India was a period when agriculture in India increased its yields due to improved agronomic technology. It allowed developing countries, like India, to overcome chronic food defects. It started in India in the early 1960s and led to an increase in food production, especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh during the early phase. The main development was higher-yielding varieties of wheat, which were developed by many scientists, including American agronomist Dr. Norman Borlaug, Indian geneticist M. S. Swaminathan, and others. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute also claims credit for enabling the Green Revolution,[1] in part by developing rust resistant strains of wheat.

The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds (hybrid seeds) and the increased use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation led to the increase in production needed to make the country self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving agriculture in India.[3] The methods adopted included the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds with modern farming methods.

The production of wheat has produced the best results in fueling self-sufficiency of India. Along with high-yielding seeds and irrigation facilities, the enthusiasm of farmers mobilised the idea of agricultural revolution. Due to the rise in use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers there were negative effects on the soil and the land such as land degradation.

Measures adopted

•             Use of high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds or hybrid seeds

•             Expansion of irrigation infrastructure

•             Use of insecticides

•             Use of pesticides

•             Consolidation of holdings

•             Land reforms

•             Improved rural infrastructure

•             Supply of agricultural credit

•             Use of chemical or synthetic fertilizers

•             Use of sprinklers or drip irrigation

•             Use of advanced machinery

•             Use of vector quantity

Problems that were addressed

Low irrigation

The well irrigated and permanently irrigated area was only 17% in 1951. The majority of the area was dependent on rainfall and, consequently, agriculture suffered from low level of production.

The green revolution was possible due to adequate water supply through irrigation. The government undertook a number of minor, major and multipurpose irrigation projects to supply sufficient water to cultivable lands so that the dependence of farmers on rainfall reduced to great extents. The government also made provisions for digging canals, hand pumps, etc., for adequate and increased water supply.

Going forward, the government should create enabling mechanisms to fuel the growth in quality seed production. Public sector spending on irrigation, rural infrastructure (storage, post-harvest and connectivity) and credit availability are key inventions which will encourage farmers to invest in newer technologies as their returns would be better.

Frequent famines

Famines in India were very frequent during the period 1940s to 1970s. Due to faulty distribution of food, and because farmers did not receive the true value for their labour, the majority of the population did not get enough food.  Malnutrition and starvation was a huge problem.

Lack of finance

Small and marginal farmers found it very difficult to get finance and credit at economical rate from the government and banks, hence, fell as easy prey to the money lenders. They took loans from zamindars,who charged high rates of interests and also exploited the farmers later on to work in their fields to repay the loans (farm labourers) .

Lack of self-sufficiency

Due to traditional agricultural practices, low productivity, and a growing population, often food grains were imported — draining scarce foreign reserves. It was thought that with the increased production due to the Green Revolution, the government could maintain buffer stock and India can achieve self-sufficiency and self-reliability.

Agriculture was basically for subsistence and, therefore, less agricultural product was offered for sale in the market. Hence, the need was felt to encourage the farmers to increase their production and offer a greater portion of their products for sale in the market. The new methods in agriculture increased the yield of rice and wheat, which reduced India's dependence on food imports.

49% of people in India are employed in agriculture.

Criticisms

Indian Economic Sovereignty

A main criticism of the effects of the green revolution is the cost for many small farmers using HYV seeds, with their associated demands of increased irrigation systems and pesticides. A case study is found in India, where farmers are buying Monsanto BT cotton seeds—sold on the idea that these seeds produced 'natural insecticides'. In reality, they need to still pay for expensive pesticides and irrigation systems, needing to borrow from money lenders to finance their expensive change from traditional seed varieties. Many farmers are not able to pay for the expensive technologies, and especially if they have a bad harvest, they cannot pay back their debts, and many have committed suicide (600-700 a year in 2006/2007). This can allow larger farms, even foreign owned farming operations, to buy up the local small farms.

Vandana Shiva notes that this is the "second Green Revolution". The first Green Revolution, she notes, was mostly publicly-funded (by the Indian Government). This new Green Revolution, she says, is driven by private [and foreign] interest - notably MNCs like Monsanto. Ultimately, this is leading to foreign ownership over most of India's farmland.

From many to just handful

The Story of Integration Of India

The political integration of India established a united nation for the first time in centuries from a plethora of princely states, colonial provinces and possessions. Despite partition, a new India united peoples of various geographic, economic, ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. The process began in 1947, with the unification of 565 princely states through a critical series of political campaigns, sensitive diplomacy and military conflicts. India transformed after independence through political upheaval and ethnic discontent, and continues to evolve as a federal republic natural to its diversity. Sensitive religious conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, diverse ethnic populations, as well as by geo-political rivalry and military conflicts with Pakistan and China define the process.

When the Indian independence movement succeeded in ending the British Raj on August 15 1947, India's leaders faced the prospect of inheriting a nation fragmented between medieval-era kingdoms and provinces organized by colonial powers. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's most respected freedom fighters, as the new Minister of Home Affairs emerged as the man responsible for employing political negotiations backed with the option (and the use) of military force to ensure the primacy of the Central government and of the Constitution then being drafted.

To Read More
 Visit: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Political_integration_of_India

Unwanted Partition that Captured the Freedom in Two Nations

Lets have a look at the most repeated story of Partition of a Motherland into two nations India and Pakistan

Reasons for partition

India and Pakistan won independence in August 1947, following a nationalist struggle lasting nearly three decades. It set a vital precedent for the negotiated winding up of European empires elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by the largest mass migration in human history of some 10 million. As many as one million civilians died in the accompanying riots and local-level fighting, particularly in the western region of Punjab which was cut in two by the border.
The agreement to divide colonial India into two separate states - one with a Muslim majority (Pakistan) and the other with a Hindu majority (India) is commonly seen as the outcome of conflict between the nations' elites. This explanation, however, renders the mass violence that accompanied partition difficult to explain.

 If Pakistan were indeed created as a homeland for Muslims, it is hard to understand why far more were left behind in India than were incorporated into the new state of Pakistan - a state created in two halves, one in the east (formerly East Bengal, now Bangladesh) and the other 1,700 kilometres away on the western side of the subcontinent.

It is possible that Mohammed Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, simply wished to use the demand for a separate state as a bargaining chip to win greater power for Muslims within a loosely federated India. Certainly, the idea of 'Pakistan' was not thought of until the late 1930s.
One explanation for the chaotic manner in which the two independent nations came into being is the hurried nature of the British withdrawal. This was announced soon after the victory of the Labour Party in the British general election of July 1945, amid the realisation that the British state, devastated by war, could not afford to hold on to its over-extended empire.

Transfer of power

An act of parliament proposed a date for the transfer of power into Indian hands in June 1948, summarily advanced to August 1947 at the whim of the last viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten. This left a great many issues and interests unresolved at the end of colonial rule.
In charge of negotiations, the viceroy exacerbated difficulties by focusing largely on Jinnah's Muslim League and the Indian National Congress (led by Jawaharlal Nehru).
The two parties' representative status was established by Constituent Assembly elections in July 1946, but fell well short of a universal franchise.
Tellingly, although Pakistan celebrated its independence on 14 August and India on 15 August 1947, the border between the two new states was not announced until 17 August.
It was hurriedly drawn up by a British lawyer, Cyril Radcliffe, who had little knowledge of Indian conditions and with the use of out-of-date maps and census materials.
Communities, families and farms were cut in two, but by delaying the announcement the British managed to avoid responsibility for the worst fighting and the mass migration that had followed.

Tensions in India

Many have wondered why the British and Indian leaders did not delay until a better deal over borders could have been agreed. One explanation is that in the months and years immediately following World War Two, leaders on all sides were losing control and were keen to strike a deal before the country descended into chaos.
Immediately before World War Two, India was ravaged by the impact of the Great Depression, bringing mass unemployment. This created tremendous tensions exacerbated during the war by inflation and food grain shortages. Rationing was introduced in Indian cities and in Bengal a major famine developed in 1942.
The resulting discontent was expressed in widespread violence accompanying the Congress party's 'Quit India' campaign of 1942 - a violence only contained by the deployment of 55 army battalions.

With the cessation of hostilities, the battalions at the disposal of the government in India were rapidly diminished. At the same time, the infrastructure of the Congress Party, whose entire leadership was imprisoned due to their opposition to the war, had been dismantled.
The Muslim League, which co-operated with the British, had rapidly increased its membership, yet still had very limited grassroots level organisation.
This was dramatically revealed on the 16 August 1946, when Jinnah called for a 'Direct Action Day' by followers of the League in support of the demand for Pakistan. The day had dissolved into random violence and civil disruption across north India, with thousands of lives lost.
This was interpreted by the British as evidence of the irreconcilable differences between Hindus and Muslims. In reality, the riots were evidence as much of a simple lack of military and political control as they were of social discord.
Further evidence of the collapse of government authority was to be seen in the Princely State of Hyderabad, where a major uprising occurred in the Telengana region, and with the Tebhaga ('two-thirds') agitation among share-cropping cultivators in north Bengal. A leading role was played in both by the Communist Party of India.
Elsewhere, the last months of British rule were marked by a naval mutiny, wage strikes and successful demonstrations in every major city. In all of these conflicts the British colonial government remained aloof, as it concentrated on the business of negotiating a speedy transfer of power.

Hopes for Pakistan

Strong support for the idea of an independent Pakistan came from large Muslim landowning families in the Punjab and Sindh, who saw it as an opportunity to prosper within a captive market free from competition.
Support also came from the poor peasantry of East Bengal, who saw it as an opportunity to escape from the clutches of moneylenders - often Hindu. Both were to be disappointed. Independent Pakistan inherited India's longest and strategically most problematic borders.

At the same time, 90% of the subcontinent's industry, and taxable income base remained in India, including the largest cities of Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta. The economy of Pakistan was chiefly agricultural, and controlled by feudal elites.

Furthermore, at the division of India, Pakistan won a poor share of the colonial government's financial reserves - with 23% of the undivided land mass, it inherited only 17.5% of the former government's financial assets. Once the army had been paid, nothing was left over for the purposes of economic development.
The great advantage enjoyed by the Indian National Congress was that it had worked hard for 40 years to reconcile differences and achieve some cohesion among its leaders. The heartland of support for the Muslim League, however, lay in central north India (Uttar Pradesh) which was not included within Pakistan.
Muslims from this region had to flee westwards and compete with resident populations for access to land and employment, leading to ethnic conflict, especially in Sindh.

Post-partition and conflict over Kashmir

The death of Muhammed Ali Jinnah in 1948, the conflict with India over the Princely State of Kashmir (which both countries claimed at independence), as well as ethnic and religious differences within Pakistan itself, all combined to stymie early attempts to agree on a constitution and an effectively functioning civil administration.
This failure paved the way for a military takeover of the government in 1958 and later on, a civil war in 1971. This saw the division of the country and the creation of the separate state of Bangladesh. Ever since then, military rule has been more often than not the order of the day in both countries.

At independence, in India and in Pakistan, civil unrest as well as ethnic and religious discord threatened the stability of the new country. However, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948 by a Hindu fanatic strengthened the hand of secularists within the government.

Indian politicians ratified a constitution, which led to the first democratic elections in 1951. This made India the world's largest democracy and consolidated governmental authority over the entire subcontinent.
However, major tensions have persisted among both Muslim and Sikh communities, which suffered most from the violence and land loss resulting from partition. These tensions erupted most seriously in the 1980s in a violent campaign for the creation of a separate Sikh state which led ultimately to the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Renewed victimisation of Muslims has also occurred, notably with the destruction of the Muslim shrine at Ayodhya in 1992 and anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2004. With such notable exceptions, however, India has maintained a remarkable level of cohesion since independence, especially if one considers that it is a country nearly the size of Europe.

For both India and Pakistan, the most singular conflict unresolved since partition has concerned the former Princely State of Kashmir, whose fate was left undetermined at the time the British left. Lying as it did on the border, Kashmir was claimed by both countries, which have been to war over this region on numerous occasions.

The conflict has wasted thousands of lives and millions of dollars, but is closer to a solution now than at any time since independence. If achieved, it might finally bring to fruition the dreams of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi and once more set an example for post-colonial societies elsewhere in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to imitate and follow.

Source: BBC

The Country in Golden Wrapping!!

India, As always renowned for- The Golden Sparrow, Land Of Opportunities, The land of Unity in Diversity, The Worlds Largest Democracy and Much more. Yes, We agree with all those taglines given to our country and we the people of India are proud of being Indian only when our National Anthem is played somewhere, where not expected, We are proud when an Indian achieve something outside our lands or when our sports team achieve something.


The Harsh Reality that everybody needs to understand and face is that We are proud of our army and many other aspects but internally, we always feel that there is the lack of opportunities in our country. No nation is perfect unless its citizens are perfect. It might offend you in many ways but all of us need to understand that if we are not good citizens then we have no right to blame our society, state or country.


After researching over thousands of aspects and taking a long break off, we felt to write a blog about what's the real problem that we have to work upon. The title " The Country in Golden Wrapping" is given to this blog because A well-wrapped gift is presentable but it is not necessary the gift it holds inside soothes to the gifted one.


Let's have a look what we are lacking:

1. Generation Gap

2. Respect for what we have

3. Superstition

4. Education and Unemployment

5. Corruption

6. Idol worship

7. Self-called gods

8. Ego Problem

9. Poverty

10. Political topology

11. Caste Problem

12. Lack Of Resources

13. Miscellaneous


These are the few aspects that made our country a poor gift in a golden wrapping. Let's discuss them one by one. We might not be able to discuss all of them in once and most of them are debatable topics. We are just putting forward our thinking and trying not to hurt the feelings of any being or offend them in any way.


1, Generation Gap: The biggest problem that our country is getting along with is Generation Gap. According to the survey data, India has 70% Youngsters (16-30 age)  but the real fact is far away from this stated survey. The truth is we have the maximum population of people that are above 30 and many of the census reports are faulty because most of these government paid executives are feared of mentioning the reality to these surveyors. The people can get never along with the new ideas and most of the youth is still under the jurisdiction (Forced thinking) either under their parents or the relatives. Youths are forced to think what their elders desire to think them off. This is a kind of brain ceasing and youths lack the independent decision making.



2. Respect for what we have: This is a well-known fact that we never appreciate what we have but we all desire of those that we don't have. We look at people and imitate them as they are doing. I am not blaming only Indians but it's a natural human muscular tendency to repeat what they see. Whatsoever we think of ourselves as Independent, Self-Reliant or the warriors of nature protection but our muscle memory has become so deep that subconsciously we do things that denote that we don't respect what we have.


3. Superstition: This is the biggest problem of Indians, Superstition has drastically infected and affected their lives than any other mental or physical trauma. It's a great barrier to the advancement of an individual and country.


4. Education and Unemployment: This is the saddest part of our country that we got a maximum number of uneducated and unemployed youths. So how can a country grow with the quarter of its population sitting at home and doing nothing at all? The potential youth lacks the opportunities in this country and There is no profit of employing the specifically developed technologically advanced minds in Banking Sector.


5. Corruption: This is not actually a problem but it has been renowned as "Bypass therapy" in Indians to get things done easily.


6. Idol Worship: Yes, We are proud of this thing that we got idols for more than millions of gods. Every god has a responsibility to look after 4-10 people in India. We pray to them and guess everything gets sorted out. Just kidding.


7. Self Made Gods: Traditionally there are millions of gods but they are still less for the craving to worship more, So these self-made gods who actually works as " Mind Washers" are worshiped side by side to those Traditional Millions of them that were already created.


8. Ego Problem: I don't want to mention about this but it's also a serious concern. We Indians don't have acceptance because our ego doesn't allow us to accept the truth.


9. Poverty: We all are well aware that how many of the people still fighting for a single time bread. India scores really good in the malnutrition scores.And BPL is just a name, most of them live a lavish life defaming others that are actually in that category.


10. Political Topology: About 1/3rd of Indians are into politics. The system is so complex that I need to write millions of more words to explain them. Complexity leads to complex systems of problem handling and sorting them out. It is developed in the way that a common voice can't reach to the one, who is interested in listening to it.


11. Caste Problems: India is well divided into castes, It has taken a whole new form with the time, thus making the situation more worst.


12. Lack of Resources: Yes, Believe it or not! we lack resources which result in Brain Drain. Although every year our finance minister carries some briefcase full of papers but believe us, they are just papers to discuss upon, Till the time of Implementation, Indians behaves as STML (Short Term Memory Loss) Patients. We discuss things and then forgets it.


13. Miscellaneous: There are several other problems, I have a full fledged 1500 pages list of that. You ask yourself what are those?


We are writing this blog to tell the truth and We are the not one complaining about all of these but all I want to improve every individual. We can't show you the way to correct them because if you are reading this blog then you are mature enough to understand things and sort them out.


Thanks

Ashish Chugh

Founder

Creative Sources



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