India has a a space programme which includes a Mars mission. It has Bollywood, Billionaires and global industries but also 43% of the country below the poverty line and then it’s just had the largest blackout ever.
Northern India has suffered from power shortages and black outs over the last few days caused by the inefficiencies of its electricity generation markets with high demand, lack of capacity, consumer price restrictions and high fuel import prices playing their parts. There has been some investment in this sector with its potential huge market in this emerging global giant of an economy. However 620 Million people went without power and the chaos that caused everywhere- that’s equivalent to everyone from Iceland to Moscow and South to North Africa and the Middle East too-imagine that all over Europe. Just shows what a gargantuan task India still has to provide not just electricity but also clean water to those who see electricity as a luxury in this massive country. Given time, essential reform and due investment progress will be made but the sooner the better as 620 million people in the prosperous part of the country questioned only this week.
Some are saying it’s a waste of money to have space programmes when such ineffencies and inequalities exist in the country as a whole but others add that poverty will always exsist and by pursuing a space programmme helpful technologies will enhance development to eventually alleviate these intractible problems.
Faith and hope always are good qualities and so is perseverance.
LDC