Over 5000 years India has classified its subjects into categories that determine social standing within the community. The classification has disadvantaged certain groups in terms of economic development. The lower strata of the community are classified under three categories namely: scheduled caste, tribes and other backward communities. This system has been used in all transactions for example children at school on registration their descent is recorded. 70% of Indian communities fall under this category.

In the past fifty years (after independence) the Government embarked on policies and strategies that seek to address the situation. However, only 10% of the targeted communities have been able to acquire minimum levels of literacy.

Article 45 of the Indian Constitution of 1950 stated that all children from the age of 6 -14 should receive free education. Illiteracy is one of the indicators of poverty. India takes education very seriously as indicated by policies and programmes adopted to emphasize the importance of education in its entire population irrespective of their social status. The task was to remove the infirmities of the inherited structure of the educational system and transform it into a social force geared to the socio-economic transformation of the Indian polity from colonial under development to self-reliant development.

Education has been intertwined with the developmental process and a multifaceted task was outlined as follows:

It was observed that the drop out rate among girls at primary and middle classes are more than among boys. Hence the government policy stresses preferential bias toward girl-education. Incentives include free education for girls up to tertiary level, free transport to school and motorcycles for girls.

Educational Development

In order to measure the educational development of the population, the literacy rate and enrolment at elementary level are benchmarks. The states with a higher elementary enrolment ratio than the national average are classified as educationally advanced.

• Determines targets and prepares the educational plan to be implemented by the country as whole.
• Implement the recommendations of expert bodies eg commissions which have gone into various aspects of education of different levels and have provided valuable recommendations and suggestions.
• Directs and guides the states, local and private enterprise so as to encourage education on right lines.
• Allocates suitable grants to States, local bodies and private.
• Bring out useful information on various aspects of education eg states
• Establish institutions of scientific and technical education as well as social sciences and humanities.
• Undertake to measure talent in different fields and make it available in different states.

• Management of education.
• Prescribe standards to be maintained in schools in consultations with professional bodies.
• Periodical revision and upgrading of curricula and improvement in methods of teaching and evaluation.

• Private – these are meant for those who can afford their children’s education
• Semi private – this category get some assistance from the State
• Public schools are entirely supported by the State. Additional to the system there are Volunteers who assist the teachers and parents on the school administration.

The central Ministry of Education defined social education in 1963 in the following way:

• Social education is education desirable for social change, including adult education to improve literacy.
• It is education for the betterment of the individual’s social economic, political and moral life.
• It is education that enables the community to assure direction of its development.
• It is education for better work and for better benefits such as leisure and recreation.

• Must impart such skills in reading, writing and arithmetic to enable continuity of an individual in other available avenues of informal education.
• Must rekindle interest in the illiterate to participate actively in vital national problems and in the social and political life of the country.
• It must be based and aimed at creating attitudes, interest and information for effective participation in the community.

Challenges facing primary health care in India:

• The high rate of maternal mortality.
• Alarming ratio of noted decline in number of women to men is at 4:1000

• Inadequate home care
• Institutional care poor
• Midwives not properly trained
• Dependency of women on financial support of their spouses

Teaching the patient is fundamental than treating the disease. These four aspects are key components of primary health care:

• availability
• accessibility
• appropriateness
• affordability

• budgetary increase
• provision of World Bank loans
• a pool to be created for saving a certain percentage for insurance scheme

• Health care spending as a proportion of the national GDP has been proposed between 1-3% in order to benefit women.
• India has highly specialized private institutions, but most importantly it needs paramedics in public hospitals.

The ALMA ATA DECLARATION shows progress made and a shift for health for ALL has been shifted from 2000 to 2010

• the mergers, strategic partnerships or integration with NGOs
• Enhanced public participation
• State forming partnership with business and public
• Informed choices of private hospitals

The old age home was established in 1980. Currently there are 150 elderly people of 60 years of age and above. The founder of the organization is an inmate. This organization runs a school with 250 children from class 1-5.

Mainly donors in the country and outside the country fund the organization. The government’s annual grant accounts for 50% of their entire budget. The inmates engage in self help schemes in order to supplement their income at the institution. Their product is mainly processed grain they package and sell to shops.

Although India is characterized by strong religion, beliefs and social classification these do not play any role on admission. Potential inmates are not excluded on the basis of religious affiliation. The institution does, however, raise children (at the school they run) with strong emphasis on spiritual being. The institution follows the doctrines of the Ashram religion – spiritual and emotional healing is achieved through meditation.

This school was established in 1994. This is a private school run by the Old Age Welfare Society. The school was established in order to educate the children of the lower classes of society. The parents of these children are the landless, the labourers in the forest and quarries. Orphans are also accommodated. The school was established to partly alleviate the high child labour practices that most families employ to supplement the households’ income.

The current enrolment at the school is 250 boys and girls with 5 teachers. The inmates of the old age home do the management. Some of the teachers are retired government employees.

Children admitted are from the scheduled caste, tribal caste and other backward communities. This is clearly indicated on registration. The parents play no role in the education of their children. Many are illiterate.

This school is recognized by the state and they write state examinations.

The school starts from class one to class six, further education is provided by facilitated by pharmaceutical organizations (funding) up to class ten. After this they receive vocational guidance training which help them to secure jobs. The institution provides both the aged and scholars’ health requirements.

The school, like the old age, is mainly dependent on donors and the government pays 50% of the budget. Government funding is used for uniforms, teaching and learning material. The salaries of teachers are paid by the institutions.

The society has been in existence for more than 50 years, taking care of neglected children. It was founded in 1950 by two social workers viz., Mr Venkat Krishnaji Dhage and Mrs Tehminabai Dhage. The couple got married in 1946 and vowed not to have children of their own so that they could do justice to the abandoned babies and the under privileged children of society. The society admits children between the ages of 0 and 18 years.

• To give children good education and impart human and moral values and comfortable childhood.
• To give children free shelter, nourishing food and good education.
• Provision of sport and extracurricular activities.
• Save children from being led into a life of vagrancy.
• Bring up children as useful and self respecting citizens of the society.

• The society was able to establish a managing committee and they have hired 50 staff.

• They have sustainable donors

• Have managed to build 4 residential areas and a 9 classrooms school

• Have managed to build offices and provided office equipments

• Established vocational centre for older girls

• Doctors and nurses visits the society regularly

• The process of adoption has been put on hold due to dealers who exploited the idea by selling children. Government stopped them for admitting children under the age of 5 years.
• The Centre needs extra class room

The 73^rd and 74^th constitutional amendments on the Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika provided 33% seat reservation at District, Taluk (Mandal), and village level for women. This created political space for women, but in most cases they exercise "proxyײ power on behalf of men. In reality, women have never been able to get more than ten percent seats in parliament or other bodies of decision-making. The 81^st constitutional amendment, when passed, will give 33% reservations of seats in parliament and state legislatures.

Women have participated in the Panchayati Raj Institutions’ (PRI) elections. This system has enabled women and weaker sections of society to participate in the development programmes as a result they are able to make decision on issues that affect their lives and families.

India heralded the new millennium by pronouncing the year 2001 as women’s empowerment year. In terms of political empowerment, nearly seven lakh women (700 000) occupy positions as members and chairpersons of grass roots democratic institutions in India. The reservation clause in 73^rd and 74^th amendment providing one third seats at district, taluk and village level for women.

In fact since from the days of freedom (struggle) the Indian women have been consistently encouraged to take part in the active politics. It is recognized that the goals of poverty alleviation are difficult to achieve without the full and active participation of women, who constitute a large section of the workforce in the country.

National policy for the empowerment of women 2001.

• Creating an environment through positive economic and social policies for full the development of women to enable them to realize their full potential.

• Strengthening the legal system aimed at elimination of all forms discrimination against women.
• Changing society’s attitudes and community practices by active participation and involvement of women and children.
• Equal access to women health care, quality education at all levels, career and vocational guidance, employment, equal remuneration, occupational health, safety, social security and public office etc.
• Mainstreaming a gender perspective in the development process.
• Eliminating discrimination and all forms of violence against women and girl children.
• Building and strengthening partnerships with civil society, particularly women’s organization.
• The enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedom by women on an equal basis with men in all spheres – political, economic, social, cultural and civil

It has already been indicated that poverty is number one enemy of India. Based on this view the government has developed policies and programmes to alleviate poverty. The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) is a major programme for providing opportunities of self employment to the rural poor. The assisted families access their share either as a group or as individual families. The main objective of this programme is to bring families above the poverty line.

Women’s groups are involved in the economic development projects like banking, loan schemes and income generating programmes. These are discussed in details elsewhere in the report. These programmes have helped bring women into the main steam of economic development and positions of decision making both at home and at community level. Women have also gained production, marketing and business skills. Above all families have been assisted to go above the poverty line.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Housing is one of the basic needs in terms of safety and security, cultural identity and self-esteem. India is highly populated and this is quite obvious in urban areas where people migrate to in order to participate in economic activities. For the sake of this report we are only concerned with the rural development initiatives.

• To meet the shortage of housing in rural areas, the government of India has launched a comprehensive action plan for rural housing, envisaging construction of about 15 lakh (150 000) houses annually in rural areas. It is also the aim of the Housing Ministry to upgrade unserviceable kutcha houses under IAY, the flagship rural housing programme of the Ministry.
• Up to March 2005 nearly 11 478 lakh houses have been constructed at a cost of approximately R_s 2 002 289 crores (R_s 2002 billion).
• The families contributed in the building of the houses in cash and in kind during 2003 to 2004. Of the total available funds of R_s 292 548 crore (R_s 292 billion) in the current financial year, an amount of R_s 200 381 crore (R_s 200 billion) has been spend by government.

Lessons:

• That the government should involve the targeted community in the processes of development
• That development is not an event but a process and should consider the ability and affordability issues
• Communities should lead the process in terms of the pace and expected results. However, budget processes of the government may be hampered in this instance. We observed the extensive use of private organisations in driving development programmes in the country.
• Poverty is a result of a combination of factors therefore integrated response is essential
• Identification of issues that have negative impact on development and deal with them is important this refers to the status of women and the social classification where deliberate policies were formulated to directly empower women and the vulnerable.
• Assistance in education can inculcates the spirit of patriotism and willingness to service community.