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| Emerging superpower status: Ways forward for India | | |
Dr. Rajkumar Singh
Despite hurdles and challenges in its way of becoming an emerging superpower, there are more favourable points attached to New Delhi which mainly include its demographic trends and its rate of economic growth with a 7.5% estimated GDP. Many international experts, including George Curzon, viewed India’s location, magnificent resources, trading harbours like water and land and its military strength considered plus point for its claim. In the context, other factors such as prospective energy resources, second largest population with a 65% of persons below the age of 35, political factors, foreign relations and role in international politics, economic factors as well as the development in science and technology and a host of others that help and account for India becoming an emerging superpower. Although, there are also some obstacles in the way like multi- ethnicity of the country, insurgency, poverty, disputes, lack of infrastructures inflation, energy dependence and costs, unemployment, health, low rate of literacy, climate change, social divide and other social issues which can hamper its way of getting a desired status, However, in between the two extremes, there are some issues and deficiencies such as unemployment, insurgency, ethnicity, climate change, social divide are common and even found in the United States of America with a change of degree or percentage. But because India is a country of young population with talent and energy where both public and private businesses and companied are developing along with a high rate of productivity and management, its aim of becoming a potential or emerging superpower is not far away. The government of the day is providing a developmental environment for all sectors and has been successful in eradicating old sources of social conflicts pending from decades and centuries. India is also trying to compete with other contemporary powers of the world.
India’s strong points in favour
The first point which goes in New Delhi’s favour for becoming a potential or emerging superpower is its status of economy and its growth rate per annum. At present, in terms of real GDP India’s economy is the third largest economy of the world after the United States of America and People’s Republic of China. According to an estimate of the World Bank in the year 2011 and soon it is likely to overtake the economy of China and Japan in coming years. It is growing in both primary and secondary sectors. In primary sector, it is the second largest producer of food after China and its food processing accounts for $69.4 billion as gross income. In secondary sector too, although a small player in manufacturing, in comparison to others, but its current trends showed some improvement and is growing at the rate of 11-12 %. In sphere of science and technology India is far ahead of many developing countries and it was the third Asian country to send missiles into space after China and Japan in 1970, starting with Aryabhata in 1975. Likewise, in 2007 it became the fourth nation to complete atmospheric reentry and next year in 2008 India became the fourth country to reach the surface of moon.
To improve mass transit system and tourism India is in the process of developing modern methods to replace the old one to cope with the present requirements. In dozens of cities modern metro rail system is already working successfully and in many more are under the process. Nation’s railway network is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world and transports over 9 billion passengers and over350 million tonnes of freight annually. Its operations cover three foreign countries-Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. In defence sector too the three branches- army, navy and air force is in a very good condition with quantity and stock of arms and ammunitions. The Indian army is the world’s largest army in total numbers of armed forces, the Indian air force is the fourth largest air force in the world, while, the Indian navy is world’s fifth largest navy. India is also ahead of many countries in Missile Development Programme and other nuclear weapons.
India’s weak points in against
In addition to the strong points which favour India becoming a potential or emerging superpower, no doubt, there are some other weak points or hurdles that need to be resolved first before claiming for the status. As in comparison to other democratic system of India is new and today Indian government has to manage a large number of interest groups while making any substantial decisions. But this situation will go automatically when Indian democracy gets maturity in coming decades. This alike, the other issues such as insurgency, disputes, international representation, energy deficiencies, rate of literacy, problems of health sector as well as social divide and issues will be removed gradually. However, in the context there are some issues such as poverty, unemployment and infrastructural lacking will take more time and resources of India. In line, poverty is the biggest hurdle before the nation and in the year 2011 approximately 21.9 % people of the country were under poverty line despite various schemes of the government regarding mass employment. The rate and depth of poverty has also been affected with the coming of globalization in early 1990s and adoption of liberalization in economic sector. With the current rate of economic growth more rural people of India is likely to come in cities and, therefore, State as well as Central governments are thinking of developing small cities in big ones to cope with the problem. The next, problem of unemployment is not only a simple issue but it may take the form of social anarchy or instability. These two basic problems- poverty and unemployment produce various individual and social ills which drag the nation backward in many respects. These are closely related to health, low literacy rate, standard of living, sanitation as well as quality of life along with other climatic problems.
A balance sheets
India, since its independence in 1947, has developed in many sectors including economy, politics, infrastructure, science and technology, literacy and society. On the other it has also faced religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist movements. Externally it has also fought five declared wars- one with China in October 1962 and four with Pakistan, being first in 1947-48, second in 1965, third in 1971 and the last one at Kargil in 1999. The only war which went against India was its war with China while in all the four wars with Pakistan India has easily proved its defence power and virtually defeated Pakistan.
After Independence it declared to remain Non-Aligned and it became a founder leader of non-aligned movement in the comity of nations. Likewise, its role in international organisations, such as United Nations and its other allied agencies has been praised and welcomed by all nations of the world.
Keeping in view the regional and global circumstances, India decided to explode its first nuclear bomb in the year 1974 despite several objection. In the second time too when it exploded its nuclear device in 1998, it has to face years of sanctions imposed by great powers including the United States of America. Even the present government of India seems determined to move the nation from the developing to developed status and therefrom, the status of emerging or potential superpower is not far away. |
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