Infrastructure

Infrastructure is a basic supported structure which is built to provide various kinds of services in an economy. It includes roads, railways, sports, airports, dams, power stations, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunication facilities, and the educational system including schools and colleges in the country, the healthcare system including hospitals, the sanitary system including the drinking water facilities and the monetary system including banks insurance and other Financial Institutions.

The two categories into which infrastructure can be divided are – economic infrastructure and social infrastructure.

The economic infrastructure is related to energy, transportation, and communication. It helps in economic growth. The social infrastructure is related to education, health, and housing. It enhances the quality of standard of living of people and leads to the welfare of the economy.

The economic growth attained due to perfect economic infrastructure will not be sustainable if the social infrastructure is not properly developed.

The economic and social infrastructures are complementary to each other because the economic infrastructure supports the economy from inside and the social infrastructure from outside.

A well-developed economic and social infrastructure facilities results in boosted production activities.

Where the economic infrastructure is well developed the facilities like transportation and communication will be well developed which will increase the availability of physical resources.

Well-developed social infrastructure will provide good work force having high productivity and those who can use the available inputs and the technology in the best possible manner.

Therefore, infrastructure is the necessary condition for higher productivity and increased production.

Infrastructure contributes towards the economic development of a country -

•By increasing the productivity of raw materials and human beings,

•By encouraging investment due to a well-developed infrastructure and chances of high returns,

•By generating various forward and backward linkages in production that is the production activities can be expanded and

•By increasing the size of market; it may even cross the national boundaries.

The rural infrastructure of India is not very adequate. The status of rural infrastructure in India is stated below –

•The women in rural areas still use bio-fuels to meet their energy requirements.

•They have to travel far for the basic necessity like water.

•There is a lack of availability of clean drinking water.

•The sanitation facilities are also not properly developed.

Energy is very important for the development process of any nation. It is essential for industrial, agriculture, and other related areas the development in which results in infrastructure development and the energy is also used for domestic purposes.

The basic differences between commercial and non-commercial sources of energy are –

The three basic sources of generating power are –

•Water which gives hydroelectricity.

•Oil, gas and coal which gives thermal electricity.

•Radioactive elements which give atomic energy.

Transmission and distribution losses mean the losses that arise at the time of transformation of energy between the source of supply and the point of distribution.

This can be reduced by better management and use of advanced technology of transmission and distribution and by avoiding theft of power. The other methods to reduce transmission and distribution losses are –

•Having appropriate size of conductors

•Supply of power through meter

•Proper load management

•Regular energy audits and

•Privatization of the work of distribution

The various non-commercial sources of energy are firewood, agricultural waste, animal waste, etc.

The sources of energy are available to the users free of cost so they do not realise the importance of energy. The excessive consumption of non-renewable sources of energy can create threat to the sustainable development of the country and may also result in energy crisis.

The demand for commercial energy is quite high with the increase in population and production; so it is getting exhausted quickly.

Whereas the renewable resources get renewed quickly and they are unlimited and as they can be regenerated so they are not affected by human activities.

So, the energy crisis can we overcome with the use of more and more renewable sources of energy than the non-renewable sources.

The consumption pattern of energy in India has changed over the years. The present pattern of energy consumption is –

1. The commercial energy consumption rate is 65% of the total energy consumed in India.

2. The use of non-commercial energy sources is 30% of the total energy consumption.

3. The non-commercial use of energy has increased from 36% to 76% during last 50 years.

4. The consumption of electricity in agricultural sector has increased but still the industrial sector consumes more of electricity among all sectors.

Energy is very closely related with the development process of a nation. It is essential for all the productive activities undertaken within the economy. Even the household work requires energy. So the rate of consumption of energy is connected with the economic growth.

The problems faced by power sector in India are –

1. The electricity generated is not sufficient to meet the annual economic growth.

2. There is huge loss in transmission and distribution of electricity.

3. The subsidised rate of electricity to Agricultural sector and the theft of electricity have exaggerated the problems of power sector.

4. There is scarcity of the raw materials required to generate electricity.

5. The other problems faced by the power sector are –

a. Underutilization of the capacity

b. Public unrest

c. Need for energy conservation

d. Incomplete electrification

e. Operational inefficiency, etc.

The reforms which have been initiated recently to meet the energy crisis in India are –

•Privatisation of the power generation sector and power transmission

•Electricity for all by 2012

•Setting up regulatory mechanism to regulate tariff, and to promote efficiency and competition

•Encouraging FDI in power sector

•Accelerated power development and reform programmes for improving the financial viability, reducing transmission and distribution losses, and promoting transparency.

•Introducing various awareness programmes regarding the use of renewable resources

•Improving productivity

The main characteristics of health of the people of India are –

•The death rate has declined to 8 per thousand in 2001

•The infant mortality rate has reduced to 7 per thousand in 2001

•The life expectancy has increased to 64 years in the year 2001

•The child mortality rate has reduced to 23% in 2001

•Various diseases like cholera, smallpox, malaria, polio, leprosy are under control.

The ‘global burden of diseases’ refers to the number of people dying prematurely due to particular disease. It also includes the number of years spent by the person in the state of disability due to the disease.

The main drawbacks of our health care system are –

•High global burden of diseases

•Poor condition of Primary Health centres

•Regional, Income and Gender bias

•Communicable diseases

•Poor healthcare provisions

•Privatisation of health sector

The health of women has become a matter of great concern due to following reasons –

•The growing incidences of female foeticide in the country

•Marriage of girls at young ages and premature conceptions

•Iron deficiency and anaemia is found commonly in the married women of the age group of 15 to 49 years.

•Deaths during delivering child

Public health means the status of health of people of the country. The major public health measures undertaken by the state in the recent years to control diseases are –

•Creating awareness on health and hygiene system

•The role of Telecom and IT sector

•The effectiveness of healthcare programmes undertaken by the primary health care centre

•Public private partnership in the healthcare sector.

The 6 different systems of Indian Medicine are –

•Ayurveda

•Yoga and Naturopathy

•Unani

•Siddha

•Homeopathy

This is commonly known as AYUSH

Health is very important for everyone and it is also basic human right. The effectiveness of Health Care Programmes can be increased –

•By decentralizing the public health services

•By spreading proper knowledge and awareness about health care measures

•By providing good quality of medical facilities at nominal cost

•By improving doctor population ratio and increasing the number of Medical Colleges in India.