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been outlawed on paper, the preju–
dices of the traditional caste system
remain deeply rooted. Religion and
caste have long been lndia's great
hate-makers. Casteism is only grad–
ual!y breaking down under the
impact of modern times.
India also exhibits sharp
regional
differences. From the snowcapped
Himalayas to the lush green of the
tropical south, from the Arabian
Sea to the Bay of Bengal, a host of
regional groupings exist that exhib–
it a special loyalty to their own par–
ticular arcas.
Regionalism, as history shows,
can easily turn into separatism, and
sorne observers fear that this could
eventually lead to a breakup of the
l ndian nation. In recent years,
regional pressures have come from
the states of Assam, Jammu and
Kashmir, Punjab and elsewhere.
In the Punjab, for example,
where Sikhs are 52 percent of the
population, Sikh leaders are de–
manding greater local autonomy.
Secessionist militants among the
Sikhs are even calling for their own
country, a separate Sikh homeland
that they would call "Khalistan."
The glue of Indian nationalism,
however, has not yet lost its hold.
But the violence of last year has
emphasized the difficulties of
maintaining a unified democracy in
such a vast and diverse country that
had known unity only under the
autocracy of the British raj.
The complex tangle of religions,
languages, castes and regional
groupings permeates virt ually
every aspect of lndian life. This
unique diversity has been both the
strength and weakness of India.
The weaknesses are readily appar–
ent. The strength Jies in the great
energy and vitality generated
through such diversity-when cor–
rectly channeled.
Now look at the India few in the
West have ever heard about.
Agricultura! " Miracle"
Beyond the India of poverty, over–
population and communal divisions
lies another India-an increasingly
modern and self-sufficient indus–
trial nation that has made extraor–
dinary strides.
The stereotyped picture of mul–
tiple millions of wretchedly poor
people faced with imminent starva-
26
A street vendor
in New Delhi
offers an
assortment of
grains, nuts
and baked goods.
tion is a highly exaggerated and
inaccurate portrayal of modern
India. Conditions in India as a
whole are not nearly as bad as they
are often made out to be.
Here are sorne facts not widely
stressed in the popular press. Given
the enormous problems India has
faced, her successes have been
nothing short of remarkable.
Firstly, I ndia has eliminated
famine. As a result of a successful
Green Revolution that began in the
late 1960s, India has become large–
ly self-sufficient in food grains, the
national dietary staple. This has
been a truly remarkable achieve–
ment, and a source of intense
national pride.
Agricultura! output has more
than
doubled
during the last two
decades, and is now increasing at a
rate
greater
than that of population
growth .
Last year's food grain output was
an impressive 142 million metric
tons. As crop yields per acre are still
comparatively low, there exists a
great potential for dramatically
increasing this figure even further,
to never-before-dreamed-of heights.
The flat, fertile Punjab in lndia's
north is the country's principal gra–
nary. There, and in parts of the
adjacent states of Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana and Rajasthan, the har–
vests are the richest. The Punjab's
nine million farmers- the majority
of whom are Sikhs- produce an
impressive 60 percent of lndia's
critica) stockpiles of food- includ–
ing 90 percent of l ndia's wheat.
With extensive investment in irri–
gation and flood con trol, and
improved agricultura! techniques,
other parts of the country
could become equally productive.
The resulting abundance of food
would be staggering.
Industrial Giant
Though agriculture is still the
occupation of seven out of every 1O
Indians, India today can !ay claim
to being the world's
seventh-largest
industrial economy!
Despite the fact that industrial
growth has been hampered by
bureaucratic meddling and a lack
of economic incentives, great
strides have been taken in the
development of a strong industrial
base for the country. Industry has
grown and diversified. Industrial
growth is currently running in the
7-percent range.
India manufactures everything
from silicon microchips to automo–
biles to advanced jet fighter air–
craft. Rapid progress has been
made in the production of textiles,
steel, cement, chemicals, fertilizers,
paper and a host of other products.
India is also a leading manufacturer
of machine tools, and exports them
to more than 50 countries.
Moreover, India has become the
Third World leader in scientific
and technical development. Satel–
lites and rockets have been built
and launched jn India. India was
the world's sixth nation to explode
a nuclear device. The use of nuclear
power for peaceful purposes is a
major thrust of lndia's extensive
scientific research program.
Unrealized by many, India is
also a rich storehouse of resources.
India is blessed with excellent soil,
and ranks second in the world in
The PLAIN TRUTH