Category: India

Punjab is one of the northern states of India. The culture, heritage, cuisine, and history of Punjab are unexplainable. Punjab is almost a Sikhism state and people from Punjab are called Punjabi.

Maybe you’ve never known about this little State in North-West India, yet you probably tasted or knew about one of its culinary claims to fame: chicken tikka masala, dal makhani, shahi paneer, lassi, significant India dishes, known the world over. In this third part, we take you off to Punjab: a rich region about the size of Holland, circumscribing Pakistan, the place where there is Sikhs, whose deep-rooted gastronomic conventions have made a trip far abroad to turn into the outsider’s perspective on Indian cooking.

BMI report of Girls Students in Punjab Region

In the present situation, an endeavor has been made to report the pervasiveness of overweight and stoutness in 500 college going young ladies of Amritsar region of Punjab. For the appraisal of overweight and heftiness, stature and weight estimations were taken regarding each matter. The predominance pace of lack of healthy sustenance was determined by the basic furthest reaches of the weight list (BMI). The perceptions uncover that the predominance of overweight and corpulence in Punjabi young ladies is 28.20 and 15.00%, individually.

Various Reasons for Obesity in Youngsters

So can we say that this is because of the hardcore fat cuisine of Punjab? Would it be ok to blame Punjab’s butter-rich food for the obesity in Punjabi new generation? Well, properly not. Obesity does not only come because of unbalanced diet but also with the lack of physical activities. Physical dormancy has not just a prime job in the advancement of overweight and heftiness yet in addition in the improvement of interminable illnesses, for example, coronary illness, diabetes, hypertension, malignant growths and osteoporosis in later life. Eating out has turned into a pattern nowadays.

Adolescents like to go out with their companions for suppers; however, families additionally go out together. In the present examination, around 52 percent of youngsters ate dinners outside the home, young men more as often more possible than young ladies which had a huge connection with stoutness. Heftiness is a worldwide wholesome concern. The predominance of corpulence is high in created nations and comparable patterns are being seen as of late among youngsters from creating nations. One of the real explanations behind youth heftiness is sitting in front of the TV or utilizing PCs.

Get the Rid over the Obesity

Like this way, they got mature and still than their obesity doesn’t leave them. Obesity grows as they grow and in the end, they have to quit against obesity. Most of the cases of Obesity are like in which the patient is not even able to walk. At this stage, the gym and working out does not work. There only Surgical treatments can give some effects to the patient. Surgeries like Liposuction, Tummy Tuck Surgery can remove a great amount of fat but this does not mean that you would be healthy. These surgeries are cosmetic surgeries and patient have to give time for the recovery. Now you might have to wonder that what would be the Liposuction cost in Punjab nowadays, the answer is Liposuction cost is variable from doctor to doctor so just visit the liposuction clinic and ask by yourself.

If I could invite any historical figure to come and have dinner with me, my choice would be to invite the great Mahatma Gandhi. He was the reason a whole nation stood up against a fierce ruler with an iron fist, and dared to fight back, and reclaim what was truly theirs. A nation that felt pressured, and with the feeling of no escape, but given a chance to break free, all because of him, Mahatma Gandhi. A man daring enough to fight back against people with guns, and other various weapons, with nothing but his words.

He was a well-educated man, earning good money as a lawyer in South Africa. Though, after getting thrown off of a first-class compartment and beaten by a stagecoach driver, changed him, and made him want to develop and teach a new concept, called Satyagraha (“Truth and Firmness”), to fight back, without using violence. His mindset on fighting back, without “fighting back” was beautiful, and getting to learn that from him, would be life-changing for anyone. He even dared the British, after they slapped him or beat him with a stick the various times he was thrown in jail in his long campaign against them, to hit him more. Attack him more, showing them, no matter how bad they treated him, he wouldn’t raise a hand. His name, in Sanskrit, even meant “The Great Souled One”, and indeed, he was a great-souled man. A soul strong enough to leave behind a normal life to lead an oppressed nation to freedom, knowing his death was imminent, and not knowing if his goal would even be accomplished.

He was a force to be reckoned with. The man who the British wanted dead, but wouldn’t dare to even try to kill him, since he was such an important figure. It was to the point that even when he was killed, he wasn’t killed by the British, but by a fellow Indian. Gandhi would walk into riots where people all around would be killed, but not a single hand would be laid on him. Even if he was jailed, millions would protest, he would be released, and that would repeat so many times, and it always ended with him getting released.

His actions changed the world. Everyone in the whole world knows who Mahatma Gandhi is, and what he did. And it’s because he is, in my opinion, the most important historical figure in modern history. He inspired many people, like Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, to look at the world around them, find the problems around them, and get rid of them, but in a new way, not with violence, with words, and the truth.

I would love to even attempt to understand what went through his mind when he made this speech in front of millions, was thrown in jail multiple times, beaten with sticks, have his fellow brothers killed around him, but still stay motivated enough to fight back, knowing one-day things would change. He accomplished so much, only with his words, and threw down the most powerful country at that time. Learning all those things over dinner with him would be life-altering, showing me at the end, that words are stronger than guns or swords, or any kind of weapon.

British rule was more pragmatic compared to other colonial powers. Their motivation is economic, not evangelic. I choose this colonizing country and its occupied territory because their original purpose was to achieve a monopolistic trading position in the world. Then, later they felt a regime of free trade if they made India a major market for their goods and their source of raw materials. However, the colonialism of Britain to India involves violence, coercion, and other threats. Overall, the economic impact of the colonial rule of Britain on India was devastating, since after they colonized India they faced major challenges in bringing back the prosperity in their country. Despite this, British colonialism paved the way for India to have developments, especially in sectors like public health, education, transport system, and security.

History

Since the 18th century, the world economy has been interested in two major forces – one is the Industrial Revolution, and the second is colonialism. And it is because of these 2 forces that are why the world was divided into developed and developing economies. In Britain, the impact due to these revolutions is unmatched. It led to an increase in labor productivity, mainly because machines change people’s way of life. India’s experience of colonialism under Great Britain was for two and a half centuries, from 1700 to 1947. It was divided into two important halves. The first half was from 1700 to 1857, when India was ruled by a trading company called the East India Company, and the other half was from 1858 to 1947, ruled by the British Crown.

British rule was more pragmatic compared to other colonial powers. Their motivation was economic and not evangelical. Initially, their goal was to achieve a monopoly trading position in the world. Then they felt the regime of free trade if they made India the main market for their goods and source of raw materials. What the British failed to do was refuse aid in areas where there was a conflict of economic interest or political security.

Economic Effects during the British Colonial Rule

The East India Company did business mostly involving violence, coercion, and other threats. A land revenue system was also introduced in India, where the company collected revenue from land. These further increased the problems in the peasantry because these systems create a new class called intermediaries, or the middlemen. These created a lot of pressure on the peasants. Because of this, they were forced to sell their lands to moneylenders and merchants. This just showed that the East Indian Company, including the middlemen, had no interest in the long-term development of agriculture through investment.

One of the contributions made by Britain to the social structure of India was to replace the warlord aristocracy with an efficient bureaucracy and its army. From the year 1806, they trained young recruits. This Indian civil service resulted to secure high-quality people, firstly because it was very highly paid and secondly because it enjoyed political power. Their army was way very small compared to that of the Mughals, but they had better training and equipment, and the railway network paved the way to greater mobility, better logistics, and enhanced intelligence.

The improvement in the transport facilities contributed to permitting some degree of specialization to cash crops. Plantations were developed especially for crops like indigo, sugar, jute, and tea. Despite the improvement in seeds, there were no extension services provided, no development in fertilizers, and no improvement to livestock. It is India that started the modern textile industry in Asia. Their modern jute manufacturing started at the same time as cotton textiles. Another industry that achieved significance is coal mining, which by 1914 had reached 15.7 million tons and had met the demands for Indian railways.

After the famine, the British contributed to public health by introducing vaccines such as the smallpox vaccine, introducing Western medicines and training to doctors, ways of killing rats and pests, and other quarantine procedures.

The problem during the time of the East India Company was resolved only after the transition from the East India Company to the British Crown. It became quite evident that British industry required India to be a major source of raw materials and a short market for British manufacturers. We can say that the British have now fallen to invest in burning in India. And this is through the irrigation, transport network, and port development sectors. They also felt the requirement of manpower. Therefore, English education was introduced.

Conclusion

Overall, the economic impact of British colonial rule on India was devastating. Much of their industry was destroyed during British colonialism. They took prosperity for any welfare of the Indians. And because its Indian economy faced stagnation and decline, which later became the main challenge to the development of independent India. Despite this, British colonialism paved the way for India to develop especially in sectors such as health, education, transport system, and security.

References

1. Griffiths, P. (2019). Developments in Southern India. The British Impact on India, pp.78-85. doi:10.4324/9780429057656-8.
2. Griffiths, P. (2019). The East India Company. The British Impact on India, pp.48-59. doi:10.4324/9780429057656-5.
3. Szczepanski, K. (n.d.). How British Rule of India Came About – and How It Ended. Retrieved October 12, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-british-raj-in-india-195275
4. The Impact of Colonialism on African Economic Development. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2020, from http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1182&context=utk_chanhonoproj
5. Washbrook, D. (2012). The Indian Economy and the British Empire. India and the British Empire, pp.44-74. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199259885.003.0003.

Research investigation

Hypothesis- India’s persistent motivation to gain independence from Britain and the innovative events that took place, reflect the resilience of Gandhi as a leader, despite the controversial topic of whether his leadership was a successful or dismal failure.

Sources-

• Source 1- Gandhi’s letter to Lord Irwin
• Source 2- David Low’s cartoon, “Goosey, Goosey, Gandhi”
• Source 3- Webb Millers’ description of the raid of Dhar Asana
• Source 4- Table of Prisoners during the Salt Tax Protest
• Source 5- Lord Irwin commenting on The Gandhi- Irwin truce
• Source 6- Churchill commenting on the Gandhi – Irwin truce
• Source 7- William Shirer’s memoir of Gandhi and the Salt Tax Protest
• Source 8- Gandhi’s conversation with William Shirer
• Source 9- targon’s comments on the Salt Tax Protest
• Source 10- R.C. Majumdar’s analysis
• Source 11- Namboodiri Pad’s comments on Gandhi and Non-violence
• Source 12- Ackerman’s and Du Val’s assessment of Gandhi and the Salt Tax protest

(Sources gathered from William Shirer’s book “A Memoir.” Published in 1980. Specific references in the reference list.)

Gandhi’s reputation for many years has always held an underlying controversy of whether the non-violent civil disobedience campaign of 1930 – 1931 was a true successful indication as to whether Gandhi’s leadership was a triumphant success or a dismal failure. His leadership played a key role in the Independence Movement in India. One person and another can have a different interpretation of success, but for a leader who lived in a ‘world of possibility,’ his forefront intent was to free India of British imperialism. This wasn’t Gandhi’s only aim, they wanted to transform the Indian culture and overall make India a better place to live. People who think without depth and understanding will view Gandhi’s campaign to be a failure.

Multiple viewpoints make out Gandhi to have fulfilled a successful leadership position, he virtually transformed the victims of the Salt Tax protest. His power and presence could demolish any sense of British Imperialism superiority, that they withheld over his people. The Indians had proven to have had the ability to drive events, for example when the British lost control of Peshawar for 10 days at the end of April. The Salt Tax Protest completely altered the Indian psyche, although it “did not change the minds of the British, it did change the minds of the Indians about the British.” (Source 12) An undertone of opinionative bias is evident, as the secondary source originates from a text that passionately promotes non-violent action. However, the source also recognizes that there was strength in Gandhi’s non-violent resistance. “Non-violent action did not work the way Gandhi had expected- but it worked: (Source 12)

The British were triggered by the non-violent campaign, to take violent action, ironically. This violent dispute showed the British people’s true colors. Showcasing the ferocity of the British rule over India. The ugliness of the British is demonstrated in Source 3; “The survivors, without breaking ranks, silently and doggedly marched on until it was struck down… Although everyone knew that within a few minutes he would be beaten down, perhaps killed, I could detect no signs of wavering fear.” The morals and beliefs of the British are consistently questioned, as the recorded first-person account of the Dhar asana Saltworks (1930) shows an interesting perspective on the true values of the British people. The supposed ideology of altruism that the British withheld was demolished.

Gandhi continued to succeed in realms other than just gaining independence for India, by also forcefully introducing the idea of equality of Indian leaders to the British and taking Congress seriously. In Gandhi’s letter to Lord Irwin (British viceroy) Gandhi’s objective was to “open a way for real confidence between equals…” This ambitious approach was certainly successful. William Shirer, an American journalist, who wrote “A Memoir” on Gandhi’s life quotes; “For the first time, since the British took away India from the Indians they had been faced, as Churchill bitterly complained to deal with an Indian leader as an equal.” It is evident that the campaign had many triumphs and brought significant change.

People who like to think simply, still look at Gandhi’s leadership to be an utter failure. The Delhi Pact, was made following the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan, sparking from economic relations between the two countries. Seemed to be when people felt that Gandhi failed as a leader, completely disregarding any of the other positive things he did to gain India’s independence. Irwin comments on the situation in source 5, “Looking over the whole thing, I do regard it as a very astonishing thing that Gandhi should have been so far persuaded to come into line.” People close to Gandhi, felt as though he surrendered. Indian historian Majumdar, comments that “It is hard to defend his pact with Irwin on any national ground unless it were a tacit admission of failure and inability to continue the civil disobedience movement any further.” After the campaign, Gandhi’s only success seemed to lie in relieving the Salt Tax. There is a continuation of opinionative explanations regarding whether not Gandhi was a successful leader or not. Communist, Namboodiri Pad also supported the perspective that Gandhi’s weaknesses denied India of its Independence; “his insistence on a scrupulous adherence to what is called a non-violence, which in effect, served to the mass of workers.” This source reflects an opinionative point of view, it is to be understood that this perspective is reflecting on the ideologies that it was the birth of those who are oppressed to act violently to those who ‘exploit.’ Shallow minds who tend to measure success on a scale, backed up by one-sided perceived opinionative sources, could deem Gandhi to be a failure in this instance.

Different arguments can see two sides to Gandhi, either as a success or a failure in gaining independence in India. However, he has left an everlasting effect on a nation of people. The reality is that Gandhi failed to achieve results from the “Delhi Pact”. Nevertheless, Gandhi’s ongoing positive outlook changed the lives of many. Gandhi strongly believed that “suffering has its well-defined limits. Success can be both wise and unwise”. He continually enforced his values and beliefs, his argument remained ‘You cannot get everything in one stroke, you must gather yourself and take the next step.’ His leadership had a long-lasting effect on India’s people, giving them a sense of belonging and relief from the falsity of British Imperialism. It is undeniable that Gandhi had failed to a certain extent on a scale of measurable results. Gandhi had greater success in a larger field, successfully altering and changing the lives of a nation of people.

‘“England can hold India only by consent,” he conceded “We can’t rule it by sword” The British lost that consent.’ (Source 12)

References

1. Source 1- Gandhi’s letter to Lord Irwin https://www.gandhiashramsevagram.org/selected-letters-of-mahatma/gandhi-letter-to-lord-irwin.php
2. Source 2- David Lows cartoon “Goosey Goosey” http://www.gandhimedia.org/cgi-bin/gm/gm.cgi?action=view&link=Images/Cartoons&image=IMCA1931505060.jpg&img=45&tt=
3. Source 3- Webb Millers description of the raid of Dhar asana http://www.satyagrahafoundation.org/gandhis-salt-march-campaign-contemporary-dispatches-12/
4. Source 4- Table of Prisoners in the Salt Tax protest http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/inside-gandhis-salt-march-the-nonviolent-journey-changed-the-world#slide1
5. Source 5- Lord Irwin commenting on the Gandhi-Irwin truce https://www.thehindu.com/features/kids/gandhi-irwin-pact-between-india-and-the-british/article8309181.ece
6. Source 6- Churchill commenting on the Gandhi-Irwin truce https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/04/churchill-gandhi-briton-indian-greatest/584170/
7. Source 7- William Shirer’s memoir of Gandhi, specifically the Salt Tax protest William Shirer’s A Memoir,’ published in 1980.
8. Source 8- Gandhi’s conversation with William Shirer https://www.storytel.com/se/sv/books/540172-Gandhi-A-Memoir
9. Source 9- targon’s comments on the Salt Tax protest https://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/10/09/how-did-gandhi-win-lessons-salt-march-todays-social-movements
10. Source 10- R.C. Majumder analysis (historian) https://dharmadispatch.in/unmasking-the-mahatmahood-of-gandhi-r-c-majumdars-frank-assessment-of-mohandas-gandhi/
11. Source 11- – Namboodiri Pad’s comments on Gandhi and Non-violence http://theconversation.com/how-howard-thurman-met-gandhi-and-brought-nonviolence-to-the-civil-rights-movement-110148
12. Source 12- Ackerman’s and Du Val’s assessment of Gandhi and the Salt Tax protest https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/gandhi-win-lessons-salt-march-social-movements

Abstract

Gandhiji’s philosophy of education was not the upshot of any study of modern or ancient educational movements in India or elsewhere. This educational theory is original, new and epoch making. It evolved out of his wide and long experiences of the political, social and economic life of his country. In Gandhian scheme of education, knowledge must be related to activity and practical experience. His scheme of education envisages, a close integration between the school and the community so as to make child more social and cooperative. This scheme was the first attempt to develop an indigenous scheme of education in British India by Mahatma Gandhi. As a nationalist leader he fully realized that the British system of education could not serve the socio-economic need of the country. So he had developed a complete philosophy of education for the whole country. This paper aims to find out how much teachers aware about Gandhiji’s work centred education and its applications.

Keywords: Work centred Education, Basic Education

Introduction

“Gandhiji has secured a unique place in the galaxy of the great teachers who have brought fresh light in the field of Education”- Swaroop Saxena(Education in Emerging Indian Society ).

Mahatma Gandhi is known as a practical-idealist. His own experiences and process of formation of his precepts form the basis of all his activities and ideas. His ideas and philosophy is drawn from various Indian and foreign sources. Gandhiji, indeed, has had an open mind, independent thinking and an interdependent life style or way of life. His life is his message and it is replete with philosophical landmarks in the area of education for modern age of ‘knowledge, information technology and globalisation.” Gandhian philosophy of education revolves around a few fundamental contours. These, apparently, are basic philosophical perspectives with an element of timelessness attached to them. Now a days the school education, which we are providing to our kids is just a whitewash, which have no use to them and every year the number is increasing. The worst part is that the fees which is given by poor parents is a mere wastage because their wards are not able to perform well as they are not able to provide them extra classes after school and in govt. schools the quality is deteriorating day by day. Due to this poor parents are becoming poorer. In this direction serious effort is required by the govt. and this could be only possible if we follow the idea of basic education of Gandhi(Deka,2017).

Gandhi’s concept of Basic Education has got the maximum attention. It aims at all round development of human personality. His primary emphasis is on the 3’H’s i.e. – Head, Heart and Hand, rather than on 3 R’s i.e. – Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. For Gandhi, The true development of head, heart and soul are necessary for a satisfactory system of education.” “In his scheme, vocational training or work experience occupied a central position as he wanted education to be responsive to socio-economic need of the Indian society. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons for his aversion to book oriented/Central Education at the expense of education through crafts.” The Basic Education envisaged by Gandhi aimed at producing self reliant and good citizens. In order to regain India’s lost glory and prestige, Gandhi’s educational ideas based on value-orientation have to be reemphasized. The education curricula should be value laden as well as information oriented. Eradication of illiteracy and spread of education is the prime need of the hour so that the citizens of Twenty First Century can be alert and enlightened.” Gandhiji saw that the only way of saving the nation at that juncture was to revive village economic life and to relate education to it. Education … was to be based on village occupations. The child was to be trained to be a producer. Gandhi told that he came upon his basic education method through his educational experiments in Tolstoy Farm, where he himself learned shoe making from his associate Kallenbach, who had been trained in a Trappist monastery. After telling us about the source of this ideas, he then clarified that what he advocated was not the teaching of some handicrafts side by side with so-called liberal education. He wanted that the whole of education should be imparted through some handicraft or industry. This is the key sentence to which we should to turn our attention. Gandhi believed that in the medieval ages, where education was craft-centred, there was little attempt to develop the intellect of the pupil. He therefore advocated the imparting of the whole art and science of a craft through practical training and there-through imparting the whole education(Deka, 2017)

Sweta(2017) states that different stages of Nai Talim as defined by Gandhiji. Gandhi gave a revolutionary proposal in the programme of Nai Talim, he turned the conventional education system upside down with his course of education. This New Education has been described as “Education for Life”. The first stage in the educational programme is therefore adult education that is the education of the community as a whole and of every individual member, for a happy, healthy, clean and self-reliant life. The second stage is that of pre-basic education or the education of children under seven.

The programme of pre-basic education includes physical nurture, medical care, personal and community cleanliness and health, self-helps, social training, creative activities (both in work and play), speech training, the development of the mathematical sense, nature study, art and music. The third stage is the eight years’ programme of basic education for boys and girls between the seventh and the fifteenth year. The objectives programme and detailed syllabuses recommended for this stage of education discussed in the later part of the essay. The fourth stage is that of post-basic education.The post-basic school should lead on naturally either to the responsibilities of adult family life in one or other of the normal productive occupations.

Shah(2017) conducted a study entitled as “Gandhiji’s Views on Basic education and its Present Relevance”. In this study he says that Basic Education for modern India, which can be called the first blue print of national system of education, which is job centred, value –based and mass oriented. It is the first model of vocationalisation of education in India. In Gandhian scheme of education, knowledge must be related to activity and practical experience. His scheme of education envisages, a close integration between the school and the community so as to make child more social and cooperative. This scheme was the first attempt to develop an indigenous scheme of education in British India by Mahatma Gandhi. As a nationalist leader he fully realized that the British system of education could not serve the socio-economic need of the country. He concluded that in Gandhian scheme of education, knowledge must be related to activity and practical experience. His scheme of education envisages, a close integration between the schools and community so as to make child more social minded and co-operative.

Dubey(2018) conducted a study entitled as “Nai-Talim Blueprint of the Desirable Tomorrow” in this study he stated that the far- sighted leadership of Mahatama Gandhi, who whole- heartedly and devotedly tried to solve the question of evolving a system of education which will be in harmony with the genius of the Indian people, and solve the problem of mass education in a practicable way and within as short a time as possible. Gandhiji’s educational scheme tried to do away the sense of inferiority which was injected into the mind of “native Indians‟. “The demand for an educational system different from the one introduced by the colonial power was, from the very beginning, an integral part of India’s struggle.” Knowledge will thus become related to life, and its various aspects will be correlated with one another. For Gandhi’s the school was an institutionalized forum of the community in which, the literacy of the whole personality should take place. It is this belongingness which needs to be injected the blood of new India so that they return to their roots and affirm them more strongly in the growing and daily changing Global scenario. Moreover we have to teach our kids to walk on any road than to make roads for them.

Channavar and Jajoo (2019) states that Nai-talim is a new education that improves the level of education. Main concept of Nai-Talim to emphasis basic education (handicraft, craft work). Gandhiji’s basic education is the physical, intellectual, social and moral development of the children through the medium of handicraft. Through the number of different activities children learn with full of joy and knowledge that acquire the mental ability and capacity. Nai-talim helps the students to become self reliant and think the importance and realisation about child labour i.e. only a child work not labour, that means child should understand the dignity of labour, equal work for all there is no any gender discrimination. All work is equal for boys and girls just change the strategy from society and add the new concept, “Cooking for boys and playing for girls”. Nai talim is only a change to make a child self dependent. Nai Talim promote the rural areas student and their development and self realize toward own earning work and also realize the way of success where the stand independently. emphasis the role of people towards to make a habit of people to survive the life with sufficient earning money. Nai Talim are interpret the word like new features, new creativity, new ways, new patterns, new style, new habits and new innovation and active learning. Nai Talim represents the Gandhi’s Basic education. But now 21st century it is important to change the strategies in education. The focus and concept of Education is and only activity Based Education. It is Very important to change the ways of education, syllabus, teaching method by Nai Talim and Naya- Abhyas scheme. Nai -Talim is a combination of Knowledge and work both are work together and this concept translated with Gandhiji’s basic education. Gandhijis was alive their concept through basic education and they wants to upgrade and apply the policy and strategies in all level of education where child is motivating for learning.

Objectives

To identify the practices related to work education by Secondary School teachers.

Method adopted for the study

Normative Survey Method has been used.

Sample

25 teachers of Govt. Model Boys Higher Secondary School and Govt. LPS Thiruvananthapuram used for this study.

Tool used for the study

Have a Structured Questionnaire used for this study.

Statistical method

Percentage Analysis has been done.

Analysis and result

1. How will you Know the ‘Basic education’ Concept of Gandhiji?

Concept of Basic Education

Opinion of teachers

• Extremely known – 14- 56%
• Low awareness – 11 – 44%

From the Analysis it is clear that as answer to the first question, The 56% of the teachers opinion that they are extremely known about the Concept of Gandhiji’s Basic Education, 44% of the teachers opinion that low awareness about the concept of Gandhiji.

2. Have you included crafts in lessons?

Crafts in Lessons

Opinion of teachers

• Always – 1 – 4%
• Sometimes – 19 – 76%
• Never – 5 – 20%

As answer to the second question, Have you included crafts in lessons? 76% of the teachers opinion that they are sometimes included crafts in lessons. 4% of the students opinion that they are always included crafts in lessons and rest of the 5% teachers never included craft in lessons.

3. Do you tries to relate lessons to real life scenarios?

Lessons to real life Scenarios

Opinion of teachers

• Always – 9 – 36%
• Sometimes – 13 – 52%
• Trying it – 3 – 12%

As answer to the third question, Do you tries to relate lessons to real life scenarios? 52% of teachers opinion that sometimes they are tries to relate lessons to real life scenarios, 36% of the teachers always tries to relate lessons to real life scenarios, 12% of teachers are trying to relate lessons to real life scenarios.

4. Have you related the lessons(curriculum) to social life?

Lessons related to Social life

Opinion of teachers

• Definitely – 22 – 88%
• Some extent – 3 – 12%

As answer to the fourth question, Have you related the lessons(curriculum) to social life? 88% of the teachers definitely related the lessons to social life, 12% of the teachers to some extent related the lessons to social life.

5. Is student tries to relate the home work given to real life?

Lessons to real life Scenarios

Opinion of teachers

• Always – 2 – 8%
• Sometimes – 20 – 80%
• Rarely – 3 – 12%

As answer to the fifth question, Is student tries to relate the home work given to real life? 80% of the teachers opinion that sometimes they tries to relate the home work given to real life, 12% of the them rarely tries to relate the home work given to real life and 8% of the teachers always tries to relate the home work given to real life..

6. Is there any lessons on job skills at schools?

Lessons on job skills at schools

Opinion of teachers

• Yes – 21 – 84%
• No – 4 – 16%

As answer to the Sixth question, Is there any lessons on job skills at schools? 84% of the teachers opinion that Yes and 16% of opinion that there is no lessons on job skills at school.

7. What are the plans established for making students aware of significance of career?

Plans Established

• Opinion of teachers
• Work experience 17
• Club Activities 8
• Vocational Training & Career Guidance Programme. 2
• Agricultural Activities 11
• High Tech Education & classroom activities/ASAP/Samagra Portal/Victors Program/IT enabled education. 2

As answer to the seventh question, what are the plans established for making students aware of significance of career? 17 teachers opinion that they are work experience should be included in the curriculum. 8 teachers opinion that they provide club activities, 2 of them opinion that they provide vocational training and career guidance programmes, 11of them opinion that they provide Agricultural activities and 2 of them opinion that they provide High Tech Education & Classroom activities/ ASAP, Samagra Portal, Victors program, IT enabled education.

8. Is it good to relate lessons to career?

Lessons to real life Scenarios

Opinion of teachers

• Always – 12 – 48%
• Sometimes – 11 – 44%
• Trying – 2 – 8%

As answer to the eighth question, Is it good to relate lessons to career? 48% of the teachers opinion that they are always relate the lessons to career, 44% of the teachers opinion that they are sometimes relate the lessons to career and 8% of them trying to relate the lessons to career.

9. Do you think the ideas of Gandhiji on Education are outdated?

Gandhiji’s Ideas on Education are Outdated.

Opinion of teachers

Yes

• Sometimes
• No – 25 – 100%

As answer to the ninth question, Do you think the ideas of Gandhiji on Education are outdated? 100% of the teachers opinion that the ideas of Gandhiji on education are not outdated.

10. List out five peculiarities of a good educational system of your dream.

Peculiarities of good educational system.

Opinion of teachers

• Career oriented education – 15
• Child Centred Education – 13
• Value education – 30
• Free and Compulsory Education – – 9
• Curricular and Co-curricular Activities – 6
• Inclusive Education – – 2
• Importance to Mother tongue and Other Languages. – 5
• Experimental and Inquiry oriented Education. – 6
• Friendly atmosphere – 2
• Better evaluation technique – 3
• Nature friendly education – 5
• Issue Based Education – 3
• Subject Oriented/Ideal and Simplified Educational system. – 3

As answer to the 10th question, List out five peculiarities of a good educational system of your dream. 15 teachers they wish to provide Career oriented Education. 13 teacher’s opinion that to establish child centred education. 30 teachers they wish to provide value education, 9 teachers wish to provide free and compulsory education, 6 teachers wish to provide curricular and co- curricular activities, 2 of them wish to provide inclusive education, 5 of them wish to include importance of mother tongue and other languages, 6 of them wish to include experimental and Inquiry Oriented Education, 2 of them wish to friendly atmosphere in the classroom, 3 of them wish to provide Better evaluation techniques, 5 of them wish to provide Nature friendly education, 3 of them wish to provide Issue based education, 3 of the teacher wish to provide subject oriented/ Ideal and Simplified Educational system.

Findings and conclusions

Most of the opinion that a few of the lessons are included craft education. Most of the teachers opinion that they often try to teach lessons related with real life situations. Gandhiji’s contribution to education is unique. He was the first Indian who advocated a scheme of education based upon the essential values of the Indian culture and civilization. The methods and techniques advocated by him and the environment he prescribed revolutionized Indian thinking and way of living. At heart he was devoted to idealism. He wanted to translate his ideals and values into practice. His philosophy of education is a harmonious blending of idealism, naturalism, and pragmatism. He advocated that literacy should never be the end of education or even the beginning. True education according to him is that which draws out and stimulates the intellectual and physical facilities of children. He gave greater importance to the child, than the techniques and method of education. It was him firm belief that a sound education should produce useful citizens of the entire humanity. This study concluded that nowadays the educational institutions did not give importance to craft centred education. So it is necessary to include the basic education system in the school curriculum and give training for teachers to implement such curriculum. Then we can improve the quality of education and provide chance for students to become career oriented and their self development.

References

1. Shah, P., K.(2017). Gandhiji’s views on Basic Education and its Present Relevance. PUNE RESEARCH AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL IN ENGLISH.3(4),1-5.Retrieved from puneresearch.com>media>data>issues
2. Dubey, D.(2018). Nai-Talim : Blueprint of the Desirable Tomorrow. International Journal for Research in Engineering Application and Management . 24-25. DOI:10.18231/2454-9150.2018.1156
3. Saxena,S., & Chathurvedi, S.(1973). Education in Emerging Indian Society. India, R Lall Book Depot.
4. Sweta, D. (2017). Mahatma Gandhi and His Idea of Basic Education: An Historical Appraisal. International Journal Awareness and Advances in Social Sciences and Humanities,5(1),14-22. Retrieved from http://www.ijassh.com
5. Channava, S. & Jajoo, S.(2019). Ways to Make Nai Talim A Lifelong, Creative And Innovative Process. International Journal for Research in Engineering Application & Management(IJREAM),4(11) .DOI : 10.18231/2454-9150.2019.0059

India, the emerging economic ‘super power’, is not immune to the plague of hunger and malnutrition. Its economic progress is not an indicator of its social progress. According to the Global Hunger Index Report 2018, India is ranked 103rd out of 119 countries (IFPRI) and continues to be in a position of unnerving hunger. With this alarming situation, India has introduced many public programs to strive against this distressing state of affairs.

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is one of the flagship programs launched by the Indian government to combat child malnutrition in India. Launched in 1975, the scheme is still one of the largest programs worldwide for early childhood care and education for their growth and development. The scheme is an umbrella program providing a package of six services such as supplementary nutrition, preschool non-formal education, nutrition and health education, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services. The provision of these activities is dispensed by child care centers, commonly known as Anganwadis, which have workers and helpers acting as the prominent services providers of services like supplementary nutrition and preschool education under the program. They also have other health functionaries like accredited social health activists, commonly known as ASHA workers, and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM), laying out services like immunization, health check-ups, and health education. The purveying of the services is not only limited to children between the age of 0-6 years but also includes pregnant women and lactating mothers. There are approximately 13.72 lakh operational Anganwadi centers in India and 10897 operational Anganwadi centers in Delhi, as of 19th July 2019 (MWCD, 2019).

Although the scheme is claimed to have brought down the levels of malnutrition in India, the pace of decline in malnutrition and undernutrition is claimed to be quite slow. Also, the overall utilization of the program has improved, but states with high malnutrition rates are lagging behind. India harbors 50% of the undernourished child population of the world aged between 0-6 years. India is home to 158.8 million children under the age of 6 years (Census, 2011), and 40% of this child population is undernourished (ASSOCHAM & EY, 2017).

The question here arises why even after 44 years of incorporation of the scheme children still suffer from malnutrition and die of hunger. The National Food Security Act, 2013, an act that entitles the citizens of this country with the right to food, still proves to be failing massively. According to Reuters (2012), 3000 Indian children die every day due to illness related to malnutrition, and still umpteen heaps of wheat and rice get rot due to lack of storage facilities and an inefficient, corruption-plagued public distribution system failing lakhs of impoverished people. Despite large stocks of food grains corollary to high agricultural productivity, India stands in a very quizzical situation of experiencing towering levels of malnutrition, creating an extremely extraordinary paradox. The country experiencing expeditious economic growth since the 1990s is tagged with a very meek decline in child malnutrition.

The availability of funds for ICDS has never been a problem, but a political commitment to the success of public health programs in India has been not adequately evident in the policy discussions. India has received substantial funding from national and international sources, including the World Bank and UNICEF. India signed a US $106 million deal in 2012, and a US $200 million deal in 2018 for Integrated Child Development Services System Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Programme (ISSNIP). A training program, named ‘Udisha’ was put in place with funding from the World Bank in 2002.

With the available funds, the current Food Security Act, overproduction of agricultural products, unfortunately, the scheme was not able to achieve its goal. In my opinion, the policy to address the problem of child malnutrition should be reviewed. India must finally solve this problem because it has no place in today’s world.

There have been more than a thousand wars fought in this world. Three most common reasons that were attributed to any war are dispute over resources, conflicting ideologies and struggle for power. Ideological conflicts primarily involve religious and political concepts. The struggle for power often resulted when a country wanted to expand its powers at the cost of others. While ‘ideologies’ and ‘power’ changed from time to time, ‘resources’ have remained a common and enduring cause of war since the evolution of human beings. Resources include land, minerals, water, oil, etc. In August 1995, Mr. Ismail Serageldin, the Vice President of World Bank warned, “If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water – unless we change our approach to managing this precious and vital resource”. Chronology suggests that the world’s first war fought in 3000 BC by the Sumerians was probably a dispute over water. Terrain and geography provide better benefits to one community over another.

Water as a Critical Resource

Fresh water is a basic element for sustainability and survival of all living organisms, livestock, crops and humanity included. Although water covers over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, only three percent is considered fresh water. With rapid increase in population and development of industries including forestry, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and recreation, there is a considerable decrease in air and water quality but the requirement for fresh water has gone up.

Flash Points Between India and Her Neighbors

A study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has highlighted five most vulnerable trans-boundary hotspots that may trigger tensions. They include the Nile, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Indus, Tigris-Euphrates and Colorado rivers. India, known as a peace-loving country has always strived hard to champion the cause of peace in the world. Though she has traditionally tried to maintain friendly and good relations, her relations with neighbors are always characterized by ups and downs due to her politically turmoiled geography.

Nepal

Nepal is a strategically critical neighbor where huge number of people move across the border regularly for jobs and other economic opportunities. However, India’s relation with Nepal is not the same as it used to be in the past. Despite being Hindu majority countries, both have become openly conflictual and even hostile in recent years. One imperative reason for its strong anti-Indian sentiment is the perception that India has been unfair and unjust in exploiting its rich water resources for agricultural and energy needs. Though Nepal is rich in river water resources, it lacks capital and technology to build dams and hydro power projects. India used to be the only country to provide assistance in terms of water projects in Nepal for its own irrigation and hydropower needs and also for the flood control.

India’s bilateral relation with Nepal in respect of fresh water has been bitter even before independence. In 1920, the colonial administration signed the Sarada Treaty with Nepal. On basis of this treaty, India constructed the Sarada Barrage on the Mahakali River with exchange for 4,000 acres of territory. After independence, India signed agreements to build Kosi Barrage in 1954, Gandak Barrage in 1959 and a number of hydro-power projects. However, rising opposition against Indian water projects has delayed the realization of several of them. These India funded projects were perceived as ‘sell out’ of the national interest by most of the Nepalese. The Mahakali River which originates in Nepal forms the border among the two countries for an extensive distance. Lack of trust in Nepal for India has brought an impasse to the implementation of the Mahakali Treaty of 1996. The Treaty aims at an integrated development of water resources which covers the Sarada Barrage, the Tanakpur Barrage and Pancheswar hydro-power project.

India’s unofficial economic blockade of Nepal following the Himalayan state’s promulgation of the new constitution in 2015 created an unprecedented energy crisis. The growing resentment against India ignited Nepal’s desire for further closer ties with China. The circumstances have pushed Nepal to explore Chinese finance and collaboration to develop its water resources in recent years. With the blessings of China, Nepal will not be reluctant to challenge India any longer.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is highly dependent on India for fresh water as 54 trans-boundary rivers flow from India to Bangladesh. With a small military and weak economy, Bangladesh could not influence watershed management policies with India. The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna rivers are considered to be the extensive source of fresh water to the country. The Ganges originating from Himalayas flows about 1500 km before reaching Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra River originates from Tibet and enters the country through northeast India. These two rivers join to form the Meghna River before it finally drains into the Bay of Bengal. The primary conflict between the countries started in 1961 due to the construction of Farraka Barrage on the Ganges to maintain the navigation in Calcutta Port. The construction of the dam decreased the water flow along the river by 50 percent and resulted in serious drought and problems of saltwater intrusion. Considering the adverse impact on the riparian country, India suspended the operation of the dam. However, in 1976, after the change in political state of affairs in Bangladesh, India not only withdrew from the bilateral negotiations but also started using the water unilaterally. Without any official agreements, India started to construct several dams on trans-boundary rivers namely Teesta, Gumti, Khowai, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Monu and also blocked many rivers such as Muhri Chagalnaiya, Fulchuri, Kachu and few rivers that flow from Tripura to Bangladesh. It was reported that India has modified the flow of 48 out of 54 rivers. The recent construction of Tipaimukh dam across the Barak River in Manipur, Mizoram and Assam added a new fume to long trans-boundary water conflict in both countries. The dam adversely cuts off the water flow of the Surma and Kushiara River in northeastern region of Bangladesh.

In 1983, a bilateral agreement was signed between the countries against sharing of the fourth major trans-boundary river, the Teesta. According to the agreement, 36 percent of water was allocated to India, 39 percent to Bangladesh and rest 25 percent was unallocated considering the natural factors. However, due to the construction of Teesta Barrage and several hydro-electric projects, the river changed it course at many regions resulting in failure of irrigation dreams of both countries. Following this Bangladesh and India came to a mutual consent in sharing the water equally for which Bangladesh agreed to provide the corridor to India for its connection with mainland and land-locked northeastern states. However, the approach to reconsider the treaty legally is hanged on due to India’s internal political issues.

Pakistan

Indus is one of Asia’s mightiest rivers. It originates at the north-western foothills of Himalayas, flows down through Jammu and Kashmir along the length of Pakistan and drains into the Arabian Sea. The Indus Valley Treaty of 1960 brokered by World Bank created a mutual understanding to divide six tributaries among the two countries – India and Pakistan. According to the treaty, Beas, Sutlej and Ravi can be used by India, and Pakistan has access to Jhelum, Chenab and Indus rivers. The controversy started in 1990 when India started constructing a hydro-electric plant in Doda district along the Chenab River. This act was seen to be a breach of the Indus treaty. The political and religious leaders of Pakistan saw this move as a threat to Pakistan’s economy as it directly or indirectly affects the agriculture and biodiversity of the country. Also, India has an upper hand in its political superiority that in case of a war, it could flood the river by releasing excess water.

The water dispute between both these countries has been revolving over several decades. As a tributary of the Jhelum River, the Neelum theoretically falls into Pakistan’s sphere, which launched the Neelum-Jhelum power plant project while India was working on Kishanganga dam and hydro power project. The conflict over who draws more water is almost like who draws more blood as the two nations exchange harsh warnings and are into legal battle to solve the issue. The construction of hydro-electric plant along the Kishenganga River in Indus and the Baglihar Dam along the Chenab River will drastically reduce the water supply to the country. In a terrorism overflowing country like Pakistan, serious threats exist in armed assaults and fatalities to India’s aspiring projects. Although the terrorist activities follow political causes, it is not a bid deal to alter the cause and trigger terrorists to carry out attacks due to water crisis. Dialogues have apparently failed to solve the crisis of the Indus treaty.

In the wake of the Pulwama suicide attack in February 2019, the Union Minister of India released a statement threatening to cut-off the flow of Indus tributaries to Pakistan. Few scholars are of the opinion that India is intentionally flouting the Indus treaty in order to force Pakistan to take military action against it. Such circumstances may lead to a full-scale war.

China

Just as the Persian Gulf sits over enormous reserves of oil and gas, China controls vast transnational water resources. China forcibly absorbed Asia’s ‘water tower’, the Tibetan Plateau, in 1951 and gained a throttlehold on the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers. China’s vision on harvesting fresh water has largely shifted from internal rivers to transnational rivers such as the Mekong, Salween, Brahmaputra, Irtysh, Illy and Amur. With the world’s most resource-hungry economy, dams in China now total 86 thousand. These statistics say that China has completed at least one dam per day on an average since 1949. Nearly one third of these are large dams having a water storage capacity of more than three million cubic meter. By 2050, China hopes to move 45 billion cubic meter of water per year through a series of tunnels, aqueducts, and canals. There is no institutionalized system on water cooperation between India and China. The only MoU that two countries have signed are – Exchange of Hydrological data on Brahmaputra and Sutlej, and Expert Level Mechanism to cooperate in emergency disaster management such as flood.

Tibet is an area rich in natural resources and rightly called Xizang, or ‘Western Treasure Land’. Projects undertaken by China on Tibetan side lacks transparency. China is engaged in the greatest ‘Water Grab’ by damming the Jiexu, Zangmu and Jiacha rivers on the plateau. Due to the unannounced releases from rain-swollen Chinese dams and barrages, flash floods ravaged Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh between 2000 and 2005. During the Doklam face-off, Beijing was fashioning water into a political weapon by denying India flood-related hydrological data. The Chinese data denial led to poor flood forecasts and warning eventually flooding the states from Assam to Uttar Pradesh.

China reportedly conducts Geo Engineering Experiments to trigger natural disasters such as floods and droughts to weaken an enemy in the event of a war. Around 28 thousand rivers in China have dried up. As Tibet’s glaciers are melting rapidly, China is going to run out of fresh water soon. In response to this threat, China started building a gigantic network of tens of thousands of fuel-burning chambers that will ensure rainfall in the country. With a technology called ‘Cloud Seeding’, the silver iodine in the exhaust fumes of those chambers is supposed to bind water particles and make it rain — but of course only on China’s side of the plateau. The aim of the project is to intercept the water-vapor carried by the Indian monsoon over the Tibetan plateau and redistribute it in the northern regions to boost the water supply by five to 10 billion cubic meter a year

On India’s announcement to assert her right within the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, China threatened of building a dam on a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra in Tibet). This will be its ‘most expensive hydel project’. It must worry India as there are no legal bilateral or multilateral treaties on exploitation of the Brahmaputra River. China also believes it could help in asserting claim over Arunachal Pradesh. Diversion of the Brahmaputra is another strategy that China does not talk about, because it implies devastating India’s northeastern plains and Bangladesh, either with floods or reduced water flow.

Response Strategies

• The United Nation Watercourses Convention. It states that the ‘access to water’ is a fundamental right for every human being. In light of this Convention, one country cannot deprive another country access to water, and further, that specific right must be prioritized over building infrastructure for storage, hydro-electricity generation, irrigation, or any other non-consumptive purpose. Also, a country cannot stop or control the flow of water to a lower riparian country on grounds of ‘Economic Development’, particularly when it could harm the subsistence of people in the lower riparian state.
• Trans-boundary cooperation. It is predicted that more than 50 countries on five continents might soon be caught up in water disputes. A study by Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) on 205 shared river basins from 148 countries concludes: “any two countries engaged in active water cooperation do not go to war for any reason whatsoever, including land, religion, economy or terrorism”. The study was submitted to the United Nations Secretary Generals’ Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation. The Strategic Foresight Group introduced a new tool called Water Cooperation Quotient that uses ten parameters (including economic, environmental, institutional, legal, political and technical factors) to examine legal and operational cooperation to share water body between countries. Countries are assessed on a scale of 0 to 100, with countries at risk scoring below 35. The group also proposed a Blue Peace framework to such countries. The framework creates regional mechanism for cooperation, a structured process to turn water from a source of potential crisis to an instrument of cooperation. It involves all riparian countries to agree on equitable sharing of water and its reasonable use. It enables the rival river-bordering countries to negotiate trade-offs between water and other public goods. Such mechanisms are already in place in Europe, North and South America, and West Africa.
• Hydro diplomacy. With United Nations as a mediator, a River Basin Agency shall be set up that broadly comprise of researchers, scientists and technicians. The role of the agency shall be to analyze the existing water management policies, hydro projects, requirement and effective utilization of water for irrigation in both the countries. The Agency shall also moderate treaties including exchange of hydrological data between the countries. It shall get all stakeholders in water management around the table in the context of new governance. This could also help economically weaker nation to build infrastructures for harvesting water through international funding agencies. The aim is to promote the economic and social benefits for trans-boundary basins and work on preventing the militarization of water related conflicts.
• Contingency plans. In situations of a war with an upper riparian country like China, chances prevail that it may open any of its massive dam to create flash floods. An emergency evacuation plan along the river with reserve support of basic amenities required for survival should be formulated. Also, construction of canals that lead to lakes and ponds in localities surrounding the river may reduce the flow of the river as it reaches downstream. These infrastructures shall be planned in parity with other lower riparian countries like Bangladesh.
• Interlinking rivers. Interlinking of river program is of national importance as it will ensure greater equity in the distribution of water by enhancing the availability of water in drought prone and rain-fed area. Under the National Perspective Plan prepared by Ministry of Water Resources, 14 links under Himalayan Rivers Component and 16 links under Peninsular Rivers Component for inter basin transfer of water have been identified.
• Non-privatization of water. The debate about water privatization is highly polarized and there seems to be very little attempt to explore privatization as both social and economic good. The issue is not about privatization but about the governance and regulatory framework to secure the rights and access of clean water to all. India’s first experiment with privatization of rivers where erstwhile undivided Madhya Pradesh government inked a deal in 1998 and sold 23 kilometer stretch of the Sheonath River to Radius Water Limited (RWL). According to the deal, RWL was supposed to construct a barrage across Sheonath for which it can supply up to 40 million liters of water per day to the Borai Industrial Estate in Durg district. Once the river was passed onto the hands of a private company, the villages of Durg district have been denied water for drinking, washing and irrigation besides banning fishermen from casting their nets. Another instance where 58 Coca-Cola bottling plants in India are allowed to exploit groundwater without any restrictions. In the village of Plachimada in Kerala, persistent droughts have dried up groundwater and local wells due to this. Similar groundwater problems have plagued the company in the rural Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In 2003, the Central Pollution Control Board of India reported that sludge from Coca-Cola’s Uttar Pradesh factory was contaminated with high levels of cadmium, lead, and chromium.​​ Thus, non-privatization can avoid depletion of groundwater table thereby reducing risks of drought.

Conclusion

Water related conflicts have a long history and will continue to be a global and regional crisis. India is taking a leap from a developing nation to developed nation and it is a serious challenge to face a war. As water scarcity in India and its neighbors worsens with rapid economic development and population expansion, the competition over shared water resources in trans-boundary rivers will intensify. Countries around the world should cooperate and share, rather than competing with each other which will benefit no one in particular.

The most important lesson to be taken from the history of oil is – not taking essentials for granted. If our hummers are a red flag in oil, maybe our Jacuzzis are the same for water. A new worldwide water ethic could do away with our lethal bottleneck of overpopulation and wasteful consumption. The use of technology needs to be enhanced in order to increase the existing water use efficiency in the industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy. Recycling and reusing, reverse osmosis, and drip method of irrigation, are some of the many ways through which technology can help mankind to preserve substantial water resources.

Scrap can be explained as a waste that has no value economically or such waste that have value only of their basic material which can be obtained through the process of recycling. It is generated once the final product has been obtained at the end of the manufacturing process is over. There are few products that you will see which could be a damaged one or some waste which cannot be used again as their expiry date has been crossed and requires to be thrown or scrapped in such situation.

During 20th century, the economy of the world grew in a steady manner which were devoted to the services. In the United States, for example, the service sector accounted for more than half the gross domestic product (GDP) in 1929, two-thirds in 1978, and more than three-quarters in 1993. During the early 21st century, service industries accounted for more than three-fifths of the worldwide GDP and employed more than one-third of the labor force globally.

In India, Recycling can be considered as one of the major areas which can be claimed as beneficial within the waste management services. Due to the increased used of electrical equipment and also as the population has been increasing and there is growth with respect to consumption, there has been increase in volumes of scrap in different streams. The potential of waste recycling has been hindered due to improper segregation of waste. There is an expectation that the Recycling market will see high growth opportunity as per the revision in regulations made by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, source segregation, material recovery, waste treatment, and recycling markets. The industry of scrap is huge and spreads in about $500 billion business that employees around 1.5 million of population. Every day there is collection of 120,000 tons of waste which is produced by Urban India. US is considered to be the biggest exporter of scrap in the world and majorly exports it to Mexico.

Most of the rag pickers in India often chose such business as they have no alternatives available with them. A total of garbage and solid waste that is produced in India is greater than 62 million tons on annual rate which is about 60% less than what is actually collected and 15% are those which can be recycled. The wastes have been sub-categorized into- Organic, dry and biomedical wastes. Most of the goods are thrown in bins and only some solid waste material reaches to such dealers. On an average, almost 20% of waste is recycled by such dealers and there are still no schemes for these people. And when the municipal corporation privatizes the dealership (as happened in Delhi) a lot of people end up losing their jobs as well.

The Global Health Service has identified 22 human diseases that are associated to improper solid waste management (MIT Urban Development Sector Unit 1999). These are linked to diseases like asthma, heart attack, and emphysema to burning garbage. Dump yards are often reported to catch fire leading to deaths of people due to emission of tons of cancer-causing air due to burning of leather, plastic etc. Nowadays, residential societies are generating income from the waste management in major cities of India earning approximately Rs 25000 per month.

A scrap dealer, often known as kabadiwala or raddiwala earns an average of Rs 30000 per month in India. Government announced steel scrap recycling policy, aimed to reduce imports, scrap centers planned. (Times of India, November 2019) In India, 26.9 million tons of scrap were generated in 2018-19 and the industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.48% in the next five years.

In order to gain profit, an organized approach is needed for the unorganized sector of scrap. Promoting the recycling industry will benefit the environment and will help in generating employment opportunities and well as provide job for the people. Such practice will also help in reducing the overall dependence of importing the scrap from other countries. Thus it will be beneficial for rag pickers if proper promotion is done.

Having huge consumer base the demand for naturally produced and material goods has increased due to rapid economic growth in India. There is about 62 million tons of waste and by 2030 it will bw around 165mt and by the year 2045 it will be 450mt. The current system which has been followed is not practically functional as there is no proper infrastructure also here is lack of proper incentives and poor funds available to this industry.

The report which was presented by CBCP in the year 2014-15, overall percentage of waste which are solid in nature and were collected was about 91 from which 27 % is used while 73% is dumped. It is observed that India will be requiring 88 sq. km area of land to dispose waste by the year 2030. Consumption of material is expected to be tripled by 2025, a viable possibility which is offered by recycle process which can be utilized in order to meet the demand of material in the country. Thus it is necessary for people to accept the changes and help in bringing transition for improving the condition of the people working in the industry while bringing sustainable changes in the environment which will be beneficial in every aspect.

Introduction

· Global Scenario of Obesity

Malnutrition targets the human being in three forms, undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and overnutrition. Overnutrition is also called obesity which is characterized as dietary intake which exceeds the daily requirements of the body (Hannah Ritchie, 2019). In 1993, World Health Organisation (WHO) undertook a broad review and interpretation of anthropometric references. In 2018, the global prevalence of obesity has gone threefold between 1975 and 2016. The prevalence of obesity among adults has been increasing in all countries. During 2016, around 1.9 billion adults were reported overweight, and out of these around 650 million were obese. In another study, it was reported that in 2016, about 39% of adults comprising 39% and 40% of men and women respectively were overweight. As a whole around 13% of the global adult population were obese. According to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, a growing trend in adult obesity from 1999–2000 to 2015–2016 was recorded however there is no significant shift in the incidence of obesity seen from 2013–2014 to 2015–2016, (Ogden, C. L., et.al., 2016). Developing countries experienced a more significant rise in the prevalence of obesity in recent decades. Surprisingly, the problems of overweight or obesity are increasing in countries where hunger is still endemic (Popkin BM, 2002).

In the last three decades, globally overweight has increased from 28.8% to 36.9% in men and from 29.8% to 38.0% in women, while obesity has increased from 3.2% to 10.8% in men and from 6.4% to 14.9% in women (Neuman M, et.al. 2013). The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced a voluntary target to stop the increase in incidence and prevalence of obesity by 2025 (Wu Y, Zhai L, Zhang D. 2014). So far there is no country that has reversed the rise in obesity (Sachdev HS, et al. 2005).

· Indian scenario

Obesity in India is rising as an important health worry. This is an additional burden after the high prevalence of undernutrition. Overweight or obesity has been reported among 30-65% of the adult urban population (Misra A, Khurana L., 2008). Between the two National Health Surveys (NFHS-3 and NFHS-4), the prevalence of obesity has doubled in India. It has been reported that states with poor socioeconomic backgrounds (i.e. Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh) have a low rate of obesity prevalence as compared to states with higher socioeconomic status (i.e. Punjab, Delhi, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, and Northeast states). The data of NFHS-4 and IIPS says the population of overweight or obese women has doubled in 2015-16 since 1998-99 (Shannawaz, M., et.al 2018). In the years 2015-16, around 20% of women were found overweight/obese compared to 10.6% in 1998-99 which was a considerable increase in less than two decades. In studies, education level has been depicted as a positively associated risk factor with the prevalence of overweight or obesity, however higher increase in the levels of overweight/obesity was also observed among illiterate or up to primary level educated women (Ahirwar, R., & Mondal, P. R., 2019). In 2019, The State of Food Security and Nutrition report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted that number of obese adults in India climbed from 24.1 million in 2012 to 32.8 million in 2016.

Risk Factors of Obesity

There are plenty of risk factors for obesity. In this study, the researcher has tried to summarise the available findings in various literatures and strengthen the available evidence about risk factors.

1. Physical Activity

There is plenty of research available which supports that not doing physical activity due to numerous reasons including watching TV, working on computers or laptops, playing video games or other types of screen usage has been significantly associated with a high body mass index. (Robroek, S., et.al, 2013). Another researcher (Martínez-González, M,1999) said that there is a strong association between the physical inactivity of an individual with obesity. Diet and physical activity are two complementary drivers of obesity. In another study, it was said that excessive intake of calories due to changing food systems, rather than decreasing physical activity are among the biggest drivers of obesity (Swinburn et al. 2011).

2. Dietary Practices

Traditionally, obesity has been considered a consequence of continuous excess caloric intake (Je´quier E, 1999). Eating fast foods, eating irregularly, and skipping, breakfast or other meals are among the key contributors to obesity. Several studies have already reported that poor dietary practices which may be either extra calorie intake or skipping meals are associated with obesity. In a study, having asymmetrical consumption of meals or breakfast on weekdays was significantly associated with the increased risk of overweight or obesity among mid-adolescents. Future studies require to further examine dietary practices in the home environment in order to design interventions for reducing the risk of being overweight and obese (Sedibe, M. H., et.al, 2018). In another study, unfortunately, interventions aimed to alter the food selection and portion size to increase physical activity have not been able to result in long-duration weight loss and maintenance (Taheri, S. 2006). consumption of carbonated soft drinks was also associated with obesity in Mexican American children (Beck AL, et.al. 2014). In research among boys in Saudi Arabia, BMI was positively correlated with the consumption of sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages (Collison KS, 2010).

3. Sleeping Pattern and Sedentary Lifestyle

There are many types of research available and highlighted that increased BMI among people who do not get mandatory hours of sleep. Some studies have also shown the relationship between sleeping patterns and the body’s use of nutrients for energy. It has also highlighted how lack of sleep can affect hormones in the body that controls hunger pangs. It is also said that sleep may not be the only response to obesity prevalence, however, it affects. Good sleep may be one of the prevention strategies for obesity (Chaput JP, 2006). The association between short sleep duration and obesity seems strongly associated among children. Avon’s longitudinal study which was conducted in the 1990s among parents and children in the UK highlighted that the short sleep duration at an early age of 30 months increases the chances of being obese at age of 7 years. (Reilly JJ, et al. 2005). Findings from a systematic review of sedentary behavior and obesity risks were ambiguous owing to limited evidence from high-end studies (Torres SJ, 2007).

4. Stress

Acute and chronic degree of stress affects brain functioning and prompt the production of particular hormones which controls the energy balance and hunger. At the same time, acute stress also prompts hormones that change the body’s functioning and discourage appetite. This review indicates that the presence of stress may lead to energy imbalance and cause overweight or obesity. In a study (Sinha and Jastreboff 2013) it was highlighted that stress is a common risk factor for obesity and can induce appetite and indicated that stress could lead to obesity not only by increasing food intake but also through different food choices and lowering appetite. One of the studies concluded recent literature and said there are significant relations between stress and obesity. This can be somewhat traced back to a third key player affecting stress and obesity (Tajik, E., 2014). Future studies may generate more insight into the ferocious circle of obesity, and stress, which may lead to the design of tailor-made treatment strategies (van der Valk, E. S., et.al. 2018).

5. Smoking and Drinking

There is a dearth of agreement on the association between smoking and obesity which may or may not be causal. Possible mechanisms include reduced calorific intake due to other behavioral factors, changed smell, impaired taste, or changes in food inclinations. The metabolic effect on absorption or storage of calories also seems associated with overweight and obesity (Cabanac M, 2002).

6. Socio-Economic Condition

Socioeconomic status (SES) and its role in the growth of obesity in developing countries is a matter of debate which is on. Traditionally overweight or obesity has always been considered a disease of upper-class people (Solomons NW, Gross R. 1995) but available evidence shows that the burden of obesity is now shifting to lower SES groups ( Monteiro et al., 2004). In the study, it was also found that when GDP per capita is more than $2,500 per annum, poverty is inversely associated with overweight and a load of overweight shifting from wealthy to poor. In addition to changing the prevalence of overweight, SES also influences the type of obesity. Furthermore, inequality in income also influences the prevalence of obesity. Another study found that a high level of income disparity was correlated with increased obesity, irrespective of national wealth (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2006). In a study, it was found that income inequity also reduces the association between economic development. The specific drivers of the disparate increases in overweight among lower-income groups are still unclear (Jones-Smith et. al., 2012).

7. Gender Differences

When it comes to women in low and middle-income counties, they carry an imbalanced burden of obesity (Martorell R, Khan. et.al, 1998). In 119 out of 130 Low and middle-income countries, women had a higher overweight or obesity prevalence as compared to men, where 9 out of 11 countries where men had a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity than women in Africa (Omran AR. 1971). In another study related to women of reproductive age, it was reported that overweight was growing at a larger rate in rural areas as compared to urban areas in nearly half of Low and middle-income countries.

8. Urbanization and Economic Development.

In one of the studies done in 2014, it was said that people living in urban areas of low, lower-middle, and upper-middle-income countries are accounting for 33%, 39%, and 63% respectively (World Urbanization Prospects, 2014 Revision). Obesity is normally higher in the urban regions as compared to rural settings across Low and middle-income countries. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity soared globally while the obesity differences in urban and rural settings started shrinking because of urbanization of rural areas like changes in the transportation system, employment status, increase in income level, access to food markets, and other infrastructural development. These acted as triggers and accelerated obesity in semi-urbanized or rural areas in addition to economically developed areas (Suchday S, et.al, 2006). Urbanization has also become one of the barriers for people to be physically active due to availability and access to transportation and engagement in occupational activities (Caballero B, 1997).

9. Globalization and Food Environment

Globalization plays important role in the nutritional outcome of an individual by having access to the food market, and environment due to easy imports of food (Hawkes C, Thow AM. 2008). Still, more research is required on the factors that influence food choice apart from the effect of globalization. The urban food environment is exemplified by easy availability and access to high calories and cheap foods (James P, et al., 2013). Portion size is also one of the key determinants of energy intake. Nowadays larger than appropriate sizes of meal or food packs changes the dietary habits of an individual which further increases the risk of weight gain. The trend toward increasing portion sizes initiated in the late 1970s and has been increased the spread. However, currently, this is best documented in the United States only. Here portion sizes of various food products are becoming bigger in restaurants and fast food chains (Young LR, 2002).

10. Environmental Exposures

Geography has been considered as one of the factors in environmental exposure, as obesity changes according to geographical distribution due to the environment. West countries have a higher prevalence of obesity among adults while Midwest counties have a high incidence of diabetes and Cardiovascular disease, which come along with obesity (Gurka MJ, 2018). Numerous pieces of evidence highlighted that obesogenic environments support the development of obesity. However, it was also seen in the same population and communities, even after sharing the same obesogenic environment, many individuals do not get affected by obesity (David Albuquerque, 2017). Artificially prepared chemicals which are generally used as agricultural fertilizers and insecticides for mosquito control were mostly restricted in developed countries from 1970–the 1980s but are widely used in many developing countries and affect the production of cereals and vegetables. Contents also affect the health of individuals. Other insecticides like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) are still used for malaria control in many countries such as India and the African continent (Van den Berg H, et al. 2012). These chemicals have become resistant to the natural environment and it is biomagnified in hotel industries. Consuming foods in such food markets accumulate biowastes in human tissues and causing not only obesity but many other diseases.

11. Genetic Factors

The idea genetic cause of obesity was first suggested by Von Noorden in 1907 and it was investigated continuously. (Chin J., 2014). The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) highlighted that genetic factors offer a smaller risk for obesity. However, another source from CDC says that people’s weight reacts to similar environments suggests, that genes also play an important role in the growth of obesity. It is also seen, that people who carry genes linked with obesity do not become overweight or obese, and vice versa (Timothy J. Legg, 2016). This is due to the fact that other factors also influence the risk of obesity. The heritability of BMI is estimated to be around 40%–70% (Allison DB, et.al, 1996) through control of the physiological response to high caloric and regulation of hunger through leptin hormones (Asai M, et al. 2013). Obesity is considered as a multifactorial disease in which environmental and genetic factors interrelate (Clement, K., 2002).

12. Pregnancy

Attaining more than the recommended weight during the period of pregnancy put women at higher risk of becoming obese and developing other health problems (University of Bristol, 2011, May 19). However, in a few other studies related to birth weight, also it was reported that the relationship between maternal weight and birth weight did not correlate with each other (Rossner, S. and Ohlin, A., 1995).

13. Occupational Hazards

There is plenty of evidence available that obesity and overweight is directly or indirectly related to adverse work conditions. In particular, the risk of obesity increases is associated with poor work environments. There are factors like stressed working culture, long working hours, and poor ergonomic facilities. An employee spends a quarter of their lives at work and the work pressure and demands of work affect their dietary habits and daily routines as well, which further leads to overweight and obesity (Yamada Y, et.al, 2002). However, evidence on this aspect is limited and further research is required to examine the effects of occupational engagement including organizational behaviors with obesity, and how the work environment either promotes or discourages obesity development (Schulte, P. A., 2007).

14. Diseases and Drugs

Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) on its website quoted that several types of ailments lead to overweight and obesity. Some of these include Cushing’s disease and polycystic ovary syndrome. Many drugs like steroids and antidepressant medicine also cause weight gain. The role of medicine and the certain disease continues to emerge as one of the risk factors in energy balance and weight gain due to chemical exposures and the role of the microbiome. Not only the weight gain as such puts a burden on the health risks of the involved patients. In one of the review papers, various classes of drugs with considerable weight-gaining properties and metabolic effects have been detailed. Antipsychotic drugs have been identified as one of the drugs causing weight gain (Verhaegen, A.A., 2017).

Conclusion

In this literature review, research has gone through more than 100 of research papers pertaining to obesity in various geographic regions and found the common risk factors, however, there is huge scope to explore further and identify the causal relationship. In one of the researches (Subrata Kumar Palo, 2019), it was highlighted that there is a paucity of obesity-related studies, especially in the rural populations of India. Future research can help us find more perspectives in obesity. Obesity will be the topmost priority among all public health agendas globally for many years to come, as solutions in recent coming years seem out of sight. The complexities of the issues that are into account for influencing the epidemic (National capital, government policy, Social norms, the built environment, genetics, and other factors of food preferences and biological mechanisms that regulate the motivation for physical activity and lifestyle) require a very complete package of approaches to combat the obesity (Veronika J., 2004). Table-1

The Centre for disease control & Prevention (CDC) has stated that obesity is a complicated health problem and it originates from a combination of risk factors such as lifestyle, behavior, and genetics. Behaviors include dietary patterns, physical inactivity, a sedentary lifestyle, medication use, and other exposures. Additional contributing factors are the built environment, education, and government policies. Although genetics and environment is the factors beyond our control, fat accumulation and energy balance can be regulated through individual and social efforts. Maintaining an appropriate energy balance of food intake and physical activity is a crucial preventive measure (Hoffbauer KG, 2002). Concluding this study, research has categorized the risk factors into modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in table 1. Future research may require investigating what approach works when it comes to targeting the risk factors in order to reduce the prevalence of obesity, especially in the Indian context.

Through literature review, research scholar has organized all the risk factors causing obesity directly or indirectly. This paper will contribute to and become the basis in writing the chapters in my Ph.D. The thesis in detail highlights the risk factors of Obesity.

A human being cannot live without water, but the source of water is not endless. Manju (2017) pointed out that 97% of the water on the earth is salt water, and the remaining 3% includes surface water, glacial water, and groundwater. That is to say, only 1% of the water on earth is available for humans to use. Groundwater is a freshwater resource, which is the main source of water in India and provides most of the domestic and irrigation water. Due to human being’s production and living activities, groundwater is reduced and polluted to varying degrees. For example, excessive dependence on it, and industrial wastewater is sustained discharge into clean rivers, the main reason is that the government does not have appropriate control measures. Wastewater contains highly toxic heavy metals, and their freshwater resources are becoming less and less, which will lead to a reduction in agricultural production and the shortage of drinking water, and bring serious problems to social and economic pressures. India became one of the countries in the world with serious water shortages. To ensure the sustainable use of available water, and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6.4, India is using desalination technology, PMKSY, and rainwater harvesting to address water shortages.

Firstly, India uses desalination, which is a technique for desalinating sea water in some ways, to achieve freshwater. It is one of the smart and sustainable choices to solve the water shortage issue. People have been using it for a long time because salt water is the only inexhaustible source of water on Earth. Manju (2017) reported that more than 300 million people through this technology to achieve their basic needs, such as household water, tap water, and agricultural water. Besides India, nearly 150 countries around the world use this technology to produce fresh water. For instance, Italy, China, Australia, etc. all support desalination plants. As we all know, 70% of the desalination plants in the world are located in the Middle East because there is a lot of fuel, so the local government supports desalination technology. The desalination capacity of there is 31.29 million meters per day which is ranked first in the world (Manju, 2017). Although India’s desalination system is not perfect, it also learns from other better countries, such as starting to use renewable energy. For instance solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and so on. The process of making fresh water from salt water needs expensive costs, and also burning a lot of fossil fuels can emit greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which will pollute the environment. This is also a side effect of this technology on society, but it is still a sustainable plan for improving the water shortage globally. Therefore, the desalination industry will rely on renewable energy in the future.

In addition, PMKSY is a government-organized solution project to India’s water shortage. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY) is an irrigation scheme launched by the government, that can improve water use efficiency through better irrigation measures. According to the (RFS Division, DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, & Government of India. (n.d.)) ‘ PMKSY’s main objectives are to improve farm water efficiency, reduce water waste, and introduce sustainable water conservation measures.’According to Gupta, S. (2018), India has 600 million people without water and 40% water loss in 2018. The overall use of water in India is 1/4 of the whole world, agriculture accounts for 90% of India’s water use. Agriculture is a major contributor to water loss and water efficiency in India. Ayyar, K. (2018) said, it is because most of the farmers need to plant the dry crop, such as rice, sugar cane, wheat, etc. They are all very water-intensive. However, farmers cannot easily change what they sow, they need to keep pumping groundwater to meet irrigation needs. So Massive pumping of groundwater has brought about serious water problems in India. So, I reckon that people should solve the problem of irrigation needs. To solve the problem, India uses drip irrigation technology of PMKSY, slow application of water to the root zone. The system is capable of applying water at the optimum rate to the root system of a plant, applying a precise amount of water to retain sufficient moisture in the soil. Compared with previous irrigation methods, the water resource utilization rate of the drip irrigation system is as high as 95% ~ 100%, which greatly reduces water resource waste. With the active cooperation of the government and farmers, the scheme has achieved the best expected results.

On the other hand, drip irrigation in Israel is recognized as the most effective water-saving irrigation technology at present. This country has spread the idea of drip irrigation, which involves dropping water onto the roots of crops rather than flooding entire fields. Drip irrigation can save water by 35% to 50%, and some crops can save up to 80%, compared with the traditional flood irrigation method. I think India should learn more from Israel and achieve significant water savings by making irrigation water more efficient and pumping less water.

Furthermore, India has developed rainwater harvesting which is an affordable technology. Water shortage is caused by the increasing population, water pollution, and climate change. Also, the water shortage affected many things, especially women, and children, and the reducing agriculture. In these circumstances, the use of rainwater harvesting is the best way to solve these problems. Sustainable Sanitation and Water Management reported that rainwater harvesting is a low-cost technology. This technology has collected the rainwater on the roof. Then, the rainwater is transported to the reservoir by gutters. After using rainwater harvesting, caused the groundwater level to rise by nearly six meters. Besides, the net benefit of rice has increased by about 3 times, beans have increased 4 times and oilseeds have increased by 6 times. On the other hand, this technology can improve women’s and children’s lives since they used to spend hours walking to the well every day. These results have played a role in eighteen of the 28 states in India. Also, some new buildings are mandatory to make rainwater harvesting on the rooftop. Stockholm Environment Institute reported that rainwater harvesting motivated gender equality and substantial rural benefit. This shows that this technology can improve Indian living, increase their harvesting, and improve their economy. Also, this technology provides an environmentally safe, affordable, and the most effective way to water scarcity (Pink, 2016). Besides, many developing countries applied rainwater harvesting such as Brazil. In Brazil, two rainwater harvesting systems are launching. One of the rainwater harvesting systems is to provide drinking water; another is to provide laundry, dishwashing, and flushing water which can conserve 222.65 meters per year. This system conserves 456.25 meters per year of mains water (“Rainwater Harvesting in Developing Countries”, 2018). We suggest that India can learn from Brazil because Brazil uses two rainwater harvesting systems that could separate drinking water and non-drinking water. It is using the water more effectively. Therefore, this shows that rainwater harvesting can applied worldwide to water shortage and can successfully solve water scarcity.

Many countries have water shortage problems also India was very serious. Macau’s government should take financial and educational actions to contribute solutions. Households building the rainwater harvesting system cost between 100 US dollars to 1000 US dollars. Macau government can donate 10 million to India to develop the rainwater harvesting system. That can build more than 10 thousand rainwater harvesting systems in households. It can provide drinking water to 10 thousand families. Besides, Macau should send some teachers to promote social awareness about the effective usage of water in India. For example: the teachers can teach them to use rice water and boiled water to wash dishes which can save water and reduce the pollution of detergent.

In conclusion, to reach the sustainable development target 6.4, India is taking action to decrease the shortage of water through seawater desalination, and rainwater collection and implementing the project PMKSY. Desalination converts an endless stream of salt water into usable fresh water, drip irrigation in PMKSY can save water fundamentally, rainwater harvesting is a low-cost solution. Although these methods take time to implement, the results are good. In addition to learning some good methods from other countries, they can also solve problems through local subsidies. For example, Macao can provide funds to help them build facilities and achieve their goals as soon as possible. After the initiatives, I believe that India can reach the target of 6.4 by 2030, as well as the 17 sustainable development goals.

References

1. Manju, S., Sagar, N. (2017, June). Renewable energy integrated desalination: A sustainable solution to overcome future fresh-water scarcity in India. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032117301764
2. Nayar, K. G., Sundararaman, P., O’Connor, C. L., Schacherl, J. D., Heath, M. L., Gabriel, M. O., Shah, S. R., Wright, N. C., Winter, A. G. (2017). Feasibility study of an electrodialysis system for in-home water desalination in urban India. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352728516300045#!
3. Selvakumar, S., Chandrasekar, N., Kumar, G. (2017, June). Hydrogeochemical characteristics and groundwater contamination in the rapid urban development areas of Coimbatore, India. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212371716301639
4. RFS Division, DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, & Government of India. (n.d.). Pradhan mantri krishi sinchayee yojana. Retrieved from https://pmksy.gov.in/default.aspx
5. Gupta, S. (2018, June 15). India facing its worst water shortage in history. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/15/health/india-water-shortage-crisis-intl/index.html
6. Ayyar, K. (2018, June 6). The global water crisis: why are India’s taps running dry? Retrieved from http://time.com/5302661/water-crisis-drinking-india-drought-dry/
7. Rainwater Harvesting in Developing Countries? Need, Initiative, and Methods. (2018, June 27). Retrieved from http://www.chaitanyaproducts.com/blog/rainwater-harvesting-in-developing-countries/
8. Pink, C. M. (2016, November). Rainwater Harvesting: Water Security for Marginalized Communities in India. Retrieved from https://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/article/rainwater-harvesting-water-security-marginalized-communities-india/
9. Rainwater Harvesting Solutions: Which Countries Lead the Way? (2015, December 4). Retrieved from https://cleanawater.com.au/information-centre/rainwater-harvesting-solutions-which-countries-lead-the-way