By: Raju Vernekar
With a hoist of programs organized across the country the 78th Independence Day being celebrated based on the theme “Viksit Bharat”, is expected to be a grand affair, including the main function at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi.
India has been making rapid progress with a thrust on self-reliance and the theme “Viksit Bharat” which reflects the government’s goal of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047, which will mark the 100th year of Independence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce new welfare schemes on the occasion of I Day.
Related Posts:
A stock of topics related to the nation must be taken on Independence Day 2024.
Economy
India’s growth is expected to remain strong, supported by macroeconomic and financial stability due to the digital revolution, a regulatory environment supportive of entrepreneurship, and measures targeted at the economic upliftment of the most vulnerable sections of society. Indian rupee stands at 82.78 against US Dollar while retail inflation has risen to 4.8% today. The average consumer price inflation is expected to be 3.2% this year and 2.0% next year. The RBI has raised its real GDP growth forecast for the financial year 2024–25 from 7% to 7.2%.
Food Production
The foodgrains production target for the crop year (July) 2024-2025 is 340.40 million tonnes (MT), which includes 159.97 MT from the kharif season, 164 MT from the rabi season, and 16.43 MT from the zaid (summer) season. Over 285 million metric MT of cereals are estimated to be produced at the end of the financial year 2024. The cereals include rice, wheat, barley, millet, and ragi among others.
Social Scenario
Population
India’s population is projected at 145 crore and it is expected to be 169 crore in 2054. Almost half of the country’s population lives in – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. UP is thickly populated with 23.89 crore, whereas Sikkim is the least populated with 697000, and the Union territory of Lakshadweep with 69.000 population.
Literacy
The overall literacy rate is 85.95%. The male literacy is at 84.4 %, while the female literacy rate is 71.5 5. Kerala (99.31%) has the highest literacy whereas Andhra Pradesh has the lowest (66.40 %) literacy. Despite being a combined state earlier, J&K has a literacy rate of 77.30% and that of Ladakh is 90.29%.
Health
The doctor-population ratio in the country stands at 1:834. According to the Union Health Ministry, there is a 3.08% decrease in deaths per live birth which now stands at 25.799 deaths per 1000 live births. There is reduction also in the infant mortality rate. But despite all health welfare schemes, the hospital facilities are inadequate. Besides, schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) have not been very effective.
Rural Electrification
Despite the “Pradhan Mantri Sahai Bijli Har Ghar Yojana”, rural areas far away from the main grid, experience power outages during peak hours. According to NITI Aayog’s Climate and Energy Dashboard, transmission and distribution losses in the power sector continue. They were 15.8 percent in 2022-23.
Defense
The Govt has allocated Rs 6,21,941 crore for the 2024-25 Defence Budget which includes the allocation to the Army, Navy, and Air Force, the expenditure on R&D, and border roads. This allocation accounts for 13% of the total expenditure of the central government.
Rewind
How the situation changed in the last 77 years: 1947- No of Banks-(major banks around 06), 2024-(139)(public sector banks-12, private banks-21, foreign banks-45, Regional rural banks-43, Payments banks-06, Small Finance banks-12), 1947-No of telephones-(84000), 2024- cell phones-120 crore and landlines-3.18 crore), 1947-Tele Communication-(post, telegram, and money orders), 2024-(e-mail, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp and Telebanking), 1947-Audio Visual Communication-( 06 radio stations), 2024- ( TV satellite channels-around 900, OTT platforms-57, radio stations-467), 1947-Feature Film Production (around 178 feature films annually), 2024 – (over 1900 films including 500 odd Bollywood films), 1947-Newspapers-(30)-2024- (Periodicals-1.46 lakh, Newspapers-20,821), 1947- No of Political parties-(around 06), 2024-(2827 including 06 national, 57 state parties 2764 unrecognized parties), 1947- No of States-(12 states and 6 Union Territories), 2024-( 28 states and 8 Union Territories) and 1947- Strength of armed forces- around on lakh), 2024-(51.37 lakh).
India is expected to become one of the most powerful countries. Let us hope that we become a superpower soon. (The author can be reached at vernekar.raj@gmail.com)
