Capital: New Delhi
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Introduction India is the world's second most populous nation with an ever growing middle class. At the same time, almost one third of its population lives below the poverty line. India is struggling with a number of social and environmental problems, including a rigid caste system, massive overpopulation and ethnic and religious tension. Its relations with neighbouring Pakistan are heavily strained.
Issues
History The subcontinent of India was home to one of the world's oldest civilisations, the Indus Valley civilisation, which dates back about 5,000 years. Aryan tribes invaded from the northwest in about 1500 BC, followed by waves of incursion by the Arabs, the Turkish and, beginning in the late 15th century, European traders. By 1769 the British East India Company had gained control of all European trade in India. A year-long rebellion against the company's authority in 1858 provoked the British government to seize control of all British interests in India, effectively beginning British rule there. Over time, calls for independence from Britain began to intensify and in 1915 activist Mohandas Gandhi began advocating political change through non-violent resistance. He dominated the nationalist movement for the next 30 years, during which time his countrymen renamed him Mahatma, meaning Great Soul. India gained independence from Britain on August 15, 1947 and the subcontinent was divided into two states: the secular state of India and the Muslim state of Pakistan. What followed was the biggest mass migration of people in modern history as Muslims moved to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs travelled into India. However, partition came at a heavy price, with at least 250,000 people killed during the relocation of more than 10 million people. In January 1948, Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist. Independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first prime minister, introducing a secular constitution in 1950. Relations between India and Pakistan quickly soured after partition, with a war breaking out in 1948 over the Muslim-dominated region of Kashmir. In 1949 Kashmir was divided between the two countries, but the issue remains unresolved, with both sides claiming the region in full. The two neighbours fought another war over Kashmir in 1965 and went into battle for the third time in 1971 over East Pakistan's (now Bangladesh) independence bid. There was a brief border war between India and China in 1962 triggered by a dispute over the Himalayan border in Aksai Chin, a region at the junction of India, Pakistan and China. China won a quick military victory and the dispute had a long term effect on Indo-Sino relations. In 2005, the two nations signed an accord aimed at resolving the four-decade dispute. Nehru's daughter, Indira Ghandi, was elected prime minister in 1966. It was under her rule that India conducted its first nuclear test in 1974. Mrs Ghandi fell foul of the country's Sikh minority in 1984 when she used the Indian army to dislodge armed Sikh extremists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in October 1984. The next decade was characterised by political unrest and economic turmoil. Religious violence between Muslims and Hindus and riots around the country erupted in 1992 after a crowd of Hindus demolished the ancient Babri mosque in Ayodhya to make way for a Hindu temple. The 1990s also saw a shift in politics away from the Congress Party toward the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resulting in a series of coalition governments led by the BJP. India conducted five nuclear tests in May 1998, sparking retaliatory tests by rival Pakistan. India's move was met with worldwide condemnation and it later declared a moratorium on further tests. Tension between India and Pakistan hit dangerous levels following a deadly attack on India's Parliament in December 2001 by armed militants. India blamed the attack on terrorist organisations fighting for an independent Kashmir. It demanded that Pakistan curb anti-Indian terrorism and mobilised troops along the border between the two countries. Pakistan responded in kind. Both sides withdrew their forces from the border in late 2002 and relations began improving in 2003 with the resumption of diplomatic links, sporting ties and transportation services. The issue of Kashmir remains unresolved. A general election was held in 2004, which the BJP was expected to win. However, the Congress party, led by Sonia Ghandi, gained unexpected success and ousted the BJP for the first time in almost a decade. Ms Ghandi shocked her supporters by declining the prime ministerial role, and Manmohan Singh took the job, becoming India's first Sikh prime minister. Communities along India's southern coast and on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated on December 26, 2004 when an underwater earthquake off Indonesia sparked tsunamis across the Indian Ocean. Thousands of people were killed in India and thousands more were made homeless. Government The Republic of India is a constitutional democracy made up of 28 states and seven union and national territories. The country's constitution came into force on 26 January, 1950. The president - India's head of state - is elected every five years. The prime minister, who heads the government, is elected by legislators of the political party or coalition with a parliamentary majority. The president is constrained to act on the advice of the Council of Ministers, which is chosen by the prime minister. There are two houses of parliament: the Lok Sabha ('people's' or lower house), has 543 members; and the Rajya Sabha ('states' or upper house) has 245 members. The Lok Sabha is re-elected every five years (except for two nominated Anglo-Indian members) using the 'first past the post' voting system. The Rajya Sabha is indirectly elected by the state assemblies. One-third of its members retire every second year. Economy India is a land rich in resources. It is the world's 14th largest manufacturing economy, and has a wide spectrum of economic activity ranging from high technology to subsistence agriculture. The high technology sector includes nuclear energy, space and satellite communications, superconductors and deep sea oil drilling. On the flip side, two-thirds of India's population still depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and up to 30 per cent of Indians are believed to live below the poverty line. Crops grown in India include rice, wheat, cotton, oilseed, pulses, sugar cane, tobacco, tea, coffee, and opium for the pharmaceutical industry. Economic reform began in earnest in 1991, triggered by a balance of payments and foreign currency reserve crisis. Since then, reforms have included opening up the economy to foreign investment, relaxing foreign exchange controls and substantially freeing up the financial sector. The economy has posted an average growth rate of 6 per cent since 1990, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. The country now has a large middle class and has made great gains in information technology. India is the largest single recipient of World Bank assistance. |
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