Poverty in India

[Ceres]

An interesting read about the poverty that still exists in India, despite the country?s economic growth. It's an eye-opener: Aravind Adiga lays bare the truth of India's poverty

The Daily Telegraph correspondent also shares his story about an encounter he had with a couple in Mumbai:

From a giant billboard Mr Mallya could be seen exhorting Mumbai's upper classes to "Fly the Good Times" on his recently launched airline, itself a beacon of the new, booming India.

So what, I wondered, did Subir think of that poster? Did he find it an inspiring emblem of a new, prosperous India or a galling, taunting reminder of the fact that there was absolutely no chance that he'd ever be ''flying the good times" in one of the planes that came thundering over the tin roof of his shack every five minutes.

He didn't take long to give his answer. "I don't want to go flying in a plane," he said, "I just want enough money to eat and to buy medicine for my wife. One day I want my son to go to school. Today I cannot even afford to give her a sweet for the Eid festival. There is no honour in this life."

None of this is to understate the undoubted progress India has made over the past two decades, but merely to temper the notion that India is on the cusp of becoming a developed nation, where poverty will be eradicated and everyone has a mobile phone.

There is a big contrast in living standards between some citizens in India.

 

[vlada]

I am sure that the problem of the poverty is not only the problem of India. India is a country with the economy that grows with a high speed and there is the hope that the percentage of poor people will decrease. But what about other countries with the worst economy?

 

[Mei]

i agree with vlada. there are so many countries who are suffering from poverty, maybe it is because of too much population and also lack of education leading to few job opportunities for the people.

 

[vlada]

But I am absolutely sure that nobody has the rights to decrease artificially the population of the countries. I consider it is the very dangerous thing and there are a lot of examples in the world. Such thing leads to the genocide.