India is a nation with rich history, diverse culture and home to hundreds of distinct languages. In the last few decades it has become a major hub of technology innovation, goods manufacturing and a robust economic power in almost every other field. It forms the part of prestigious BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) which the world believes are the biggest centers of economic development now and in the future.

Unfortunately there are some very big problems that India faces which pose a grave threat to its social stability and economic progress. Let me start explaining them one by one:

1. An Exploding Population:
India has about 1.2 billion people which makes it the second country in terms of population. Every 1 in 6 people in this world is an Indian. This humongous population growth is causing lots of problems for the country because the infrastructure and resources are not growing at the same pace. It is expected that India will have the highest population in the world in the next few decades (surpassing China). Even though most "Well Educated" parents who live in bigger cities generally have two children, most people who are poor and uneducated go for large number of kids. The large population is the mother of all problems in India and several other issues mentioned below might actually be because of this very issue.

2. Poverty in India:
Do not get fooled by the tall buildings of Bombay or the dazzling malls of Delhi or even the sophisticated IT offices of Bangalore. It is estimated that about 40% of the population of India still lives under the poverty line. Another 30% percent people belong to the lower middle class. Many experts believe that the poverty projections which the Indian authorities come out ever few years are actually quite optimistic than the actual numbers. Today India is facing a deep divide between the rich and the poor, a gap which seems to widen all the time. India must be among the list of countries with the largest beggar population in the world.

3. Corruption Problem:
Unfortunately, corruption is everywhere in India. Bribing authorities, utility workers, politicians and even police is quite common. You much have heard a phrase "Money Speaks", actually it shouts and even screams in India. Even a postal worker who already gets paid by the government, expects to be paid a tip (or "Bakshish") from the local people on popular occasions like Holi and Diwali. Everyone is in the process of making easy money. It is sometimes hard to get your work completed if you take the path of honesty, therefore everyone follows the corrupt "system". If you are rich and powerful then there is hardly any thing which can't be done (legally, otherwise illegally). Even the food, milk and cereals you buy from the market are sometimes tainted (adulterated) with cheap additives which is usually harmful to human health, but who cares about others?

4. Crime and Security:
India has seen a rapid rise in crime in the last few decades and it is getting worse with every passing year. Threats, kidnappings and extortion by goons are not uncommon. Rich people have to take significant precaution for the safety of their kids, especially in some of the North Indian states. Other states have a problem of real estate gangs and underworld dons. Locally made arms and illegal ammunition are not too hard to get if you have the right contacts. Terrorism is often a threat, especially during the major events which involve a huge crowd gathering (ex: during the Independence Day Celebrations, Ganesh Visarjan etc..). Recently there has been a rise of violent domestic Maoists in India which has taken the life of many policemen. Some places in the state of Kashmir have been battlegrounds between the separatists and Indian army.

5. International Disputes:
India has fought many wars with its arch rival Pakistan and tensions flare up every now and then. Sporadic border shootings are common and India accuses Pakistan of harboring anti-India terrorists camps on its bordering soil. China too has economic and political disputes with India and both nations have fought a war once in the past.

6. Poor Education System:
Even though middle and upper class people are able to send their children to good schools, most children in India either never go to school or study in a very bad school. Due to large population and high corruption levels, all government efforts have failed. India is basically living in a two very different groups - The Haves and the Have Nots. The two most popular education systems follow CBSE and ICSE pattern. Both of these rely more on memorizing contents rather than practical understanding. A large percentage of college seats are based on caste and class which allows students from that (reserved) group to still get higher education even though they scored far less marks than other more deserving students.

7. Black Money:
Indians go to great extents to save money from taxation. By keeping transactions in paper money and hiding/investing that paper currency in different forms is quite common. For example: If one if buying a home, they might pay half money via check (white/legal money) and rest in cash (black/illegal money). Additionally, it is believed that a significant percentage of Indian money is fake (or counterfeit Rupee Notes), printed illegally by anti-national elements and not by the government. The problem is so big that you may sometimes find these fake currency notes even in Banks and ATM machines. People simply pass it along to others and the counterfeit currency keeps floating around.

8. Illegal Immigration:
It is estimated that about 10 million Bangladeshis are living illegally in India in search of a better life. These people are often able to get valid Indian residential papers by bribing local officials. There is no accountability of these illegal immigrants. Due to political reasons this issue is usually ignored by politicians.

9. Religious Conflicts:
Religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims is common in India. In fact the politicians often take advantage of this divide to get votes during election. The circumstances never allow these two communities to live in complete harmony and every few years one can hear about a religious conflict that lands up taking lives of many people.

10. A Rotten Political System:
A large percentage of political leaders of India have a criminal background or direct ties to criminal groups. An honest politician will find himself very hard to survive in the office. There are several small political parties which come to power in many regions of India by promoting their local cause. The bigger political parties have to form a coalition with these smaller parties to come to power, who then take advantage of this situation. Most politicians can go to great lengths to come to political office because these is a lot of scope to earn money (in an illegal way).

11. Worst Legal System:
Legal suits in India can drag for years, sometimes for decades. An powerful person can influence lower court judges so the the final verdict is often biased. The paperwork to get anything done legally is extremely hard and complex.

OTHER BIG PROBLEMS:
Water shortage, show internet, high unemployment, electricity shortage, healthcare system and environmental pollution.

There are hundreds of other problems which I have not mentioned. My intention of this article was not to criticize India or Indians in any way. In fact I love my country and would not mind even sacrificing my life for it. My only objective is to highlight the biggest problems of India and insist everyone that we need to do something to solve it. We need a very strong political leader who takes concrete steps to curb corruption, restrict population growth, crush regional politics and all the anti-national activities happening all over the country. We cannot effort our country to be eaten alive by its own people.

About Author / Additional Info:
Written by Alisha .. Jai Hind !!