India’s rapid growth

Claudia Fonseca Sosa, Special correspondent

INDIA attained its independence in 1947 in the midst of a chaotic economic and social situation, and after having been colonized by Britain for close to 200 years.

Prior to that, it was savagely dominated and exploited by the Royal English East India Company until the 1857 armed insurrection – known as the Indian Mutiny or the Sepoy Rebellion – which ended the regime, but not British domination.

Years later the leader Mahatma Gandhi entered the political stage with his unique methods of nonviolence, peaceful resistance and non-cooperation. The invaders were forced to withdraw against their will. They took advantage of religious and cultural differences which characterized the millennial Asian country and divided it into two states: India and Pakistan.

The colonizers argued that Hindu Indians formed one nationality and those who professed Islamism, or Indian Muslims, constituted another. In its turn, Pakistan was split into two, separated by the new India.

A wave of violence followed. Muslims expelled Hindus from their territory and vice versa. Many families left their homes and property on the other side of the border and the already disastrous socioeconomic situation was exacerbated.

However, India’s current reality is very different. While it is confronting difficulties such as poor health and social differences, it is an emerging economy – a member of the BRICS group – with huge development potential and a strong regional and international presence.

The first independent Indian government, headed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, implemented five-year plans, which have continued. Along the way, these came up against various obstacles, given lack of experience and resources, but efforts were always focused on improving the people’s quality of life and industrial growth.

It should not be forgotten that the conflicts with China in 1962 and Pakistan in 1965 had an adverse effect, given that they made it impossible to fulfill the anticipated plans. Moreover, in 1971, Pakistan attempted to eradicate through genocide the nationalist movement in the eastern part of the country, which involved India in another war. During months, millions of people crossed the border in search of refuge, until in December of that year, Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign nation.

A further India-Pakistan clash took place in 1998 and came close to turning into a nuclear confrontation.

Since then, with much hard work and more than a few setbacks, India has been moving forward at a faster rate. It has moved from importing the bulk of its foodstuffs to having a significant reserve of grains – tens of millions of tons – which allows it to cover a large percentage of its needs and to export. The Gross Domestic Product grew by 8.2% in 2011.

India has a population of approximately 1.2 billion people and this figure is set to exceed that of the Chinese population within a few years. This implies serious challenges for the government, whose priorities include guaranteeing food for all inhabitants.

Currently all of the major international companies have subsidiaries in India, where a skilled workforce is available for lower wages than their counterparts in other capitalist markets. Language also plays a role here, for while multiple caste dialects coexist in the country, English is in general use.

The nation has also managed to increase its industries and services, which are the principal sources of employment. It is moving ahead in the sectors of information technology, space, aeronautics, software and hardware, telecommunications and medical electronics.