India

Country Profile: India

Executive Summary

With a staggeringly large population of over 1.2 billion people, India is overwhelmed with complex social issues. The state has many long-term challenges that it has not yet fully addressed, including poverty, inadequate physical and social infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment opportunities, inadequate availability of quality basic and higher education, and accommodating rural-to-urban migration. However, stringent economic reforms by the state’s government are ensuring India's emergence as a regional and global power.

Brief History

With a rich history extending to the Indus Valley civilization of the second and third millennia B.C., India has undergone a series of dramatic religious and cultural transformations leading up to the modern era. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. However, years of nonviolent resistance to British rule under the guidance of Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru led to Indian independence in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.

Political Structure

Political Parties: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Indian National Congress (INC), Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Shiv Sena (SS), Telugu Desam Party (TDP). *Note - India has dozens of national and regional political parties; only parties with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed*

Political System: India is a federal republic consisting of a bicameral parliament known as the Sansad, which itself is made up of the Council of States and the People’s Assembly. The chief of state is the president, who is elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term. The head of government is the prime minister, who is chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections.

Political Conflicts: There have been a number of domestic armed conflicts and internal disturbances in India for many years, particularly in the north-east. These tensions manifested for example in 2007, when elections in the state of Manipur were carried out amid high levels of violence as rebels attempted to block participation from mainstream political parties.

Economic Structure

Economic System: India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly more than half of the work force is in agriculture, but services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of India's output, with less than one-third of its labor force.

Economic Trends: A decline in investment caused by investor pessimism regarding both India’s domestic economic reforms and the global economic situation saw the state implement a tight monetary policy. This policy slowed the growth of their economy. Consequently, the Indian Government announced reforms and deficit reduction measures to reverse India's slowdown in late 2012. The outlook of India's medium-term growth is positive due to a young population and corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and increasing integration into the global economy.

Economic Resources: The industrial sector produces textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals. Exports include petroleum products, precious stones, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, vehicles, apparel.

Social Structure

Religion:

Hindu/other: 792,075,313 adherents (79.83% of population)
Muslim: 126,707,722 adherents (12.50% of population)
Christian: approx. 25,000,000 adherents(2.40% of population)
Sikh: 19,462,306 adherents (1.92% of population)
Traditional ethnic: 14,191,265 adherents (1.40% of population)
Buddhist: 8,109,294 adherents (0.80% of population)
Jain: 3,500,000 adherents (0.35% of population)
Non-religious: 5,575,000 adherents (0.55% of population)
Baha’i: 2,331,422 adherents (0.23% of population)
Parsee: 150, 000 adherents (0.02% of population)
Churches: Catholic (6.424m members)
Ch of South India (CSI) (1,387,324 members)
Council of Bap Ch of NEI (760,000 members)
Malankara Orth Syrian (1,143,713 members)
United Ev Luth Chs in I (608,108 members)
Ch of North India (CN) (714, 286 members)
Samavesam of Telu. Bapt (475,639 members)
Mar Thoma Syrian (508,982 members)
Assemblies of God (350,000 members)
Presby Ch of NE I (389,385 members)
Indian Pentecostal Church of God (320,000 members)
Seventh-day Adventist (289,417 members)
Christ Assemblies of India (130,000 members)
Evangelist Church of India (363,390 members)
Believers Church (GFA) (100,000 members)
Baptist Congregation Of N Circars (185,400 members)
Indian Evangelist Team (200,000 members)
Baptist Convention (165,000 members)
Mennonite S.S. (80,000 members)
Salvation Army (230,000 members)
9 Garo Baptist Assoc (185,00 members)
Assembs –Jeh Shammah (80,000 members)
United Pentecostal (140,000 members)
Church of God (Cleveland) (95,000 members)
Baptist U of Mizoram (70,000 members)
Church of Christ (75,000 members)
New Life Fellowship (80,000 members)
N Bank Baptist Assoc (60,000 members)
St. Thomas Evangelical (65,868 members)

Ethnicity:

Indo-Aryan 72%
Dravidian 25%
Mongoloid and other 3%

Gender:

Overall male population: 625,350,835
Overall female population: 579,722,777
0-14 years: 29.3% (male 187,386,162/female 165,345,284)
15-24 years: 18.2% (male 116,019,042/female 103,660,359)
25-54 years: 40.2% (male 249,017,538/female 235,042,251)
55-64 years: 6.8% (male 41,035,270/female 40,449,880)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 31,892,823/female 35,225,003) (2012 est.)

Urbanization:

Urban population: 30% of total population (2010)
Rate of urbanization: 2.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Children under the age of 5 underweight: 43.5% (2006)

Operating Organizations

Political Groups:

All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group)
Bajrang Dal (religious organization)
India Against Corruption
Jamiat Ulema-e Hind (religious organization)
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (religious organization)

Other Groups:

Numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations
Various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy
Hundreds of social reform, anti-corruption, and environmental groups at state and local levels

Terrorist Groups:

United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA)
Al-Qaida
Note: There are over 30 groups declared as terrorist organizations by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs

Allies and Enemies

Regional Allies: Russia
Regional Enemies: Pakistan
Global Allies: United States, United Kingdom, Japan
Global Enemies: N/A

Country Trajectory

India is facing pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption. Further exacerbating these issues is the increasing presence of terrorist activity in the state. Comments from National Security advisor Advisor M K Narayanan in 2008 were indicative of this rise in the number of terrorist organizations, saying that there are as many as 800 terrorist cells operating in the state with "external support". The task of rectifying this instability in domestic security will ultimately lay upon the state’s massive youthful population.

Current Events

Feb. 22nd, 2013: On February 21st, 2013, a series of explosions detonated within about 150 yards of each other near a crowded bus stop in the neighborhood of Dilsukh Nagar, an area packed with shops, restaurants, theaters and a huge produce market. New information about India’s deadliest bombing since 2011 suggested the attacks had been long planned, raising questions about whether they could have been prevented.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/23/world/asia/warning-signs-seen-ahead-of-india-bombings-in-hyberabad.html

Feb. 26th, 2013: India reined in spending on its vast but decrepit rail network, setting the tone for what is expected to be the most austere federal budget in years as the government struggles to tame its fiscal deficit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-india-budget-railways-idUSBRE91P0CT20130226

Sources