India 2016 Country Review http://www.countrywatch.com Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 Country Overview 1 Country Overview 2 Key Data 3 India 5 Asia 6 Chapter 2 8 Political Overview 8 History 9 Political Conditions 23 Political Risk Index 79 Political Stability 93 Freedom Rankings 109 Human Rights 120 Government Functions 124 Government Structure 126 Principal Government Officials 133 Leader Biography 136 Leader Biography 136 Foreign Relations 137 National Security 170 Defense Forces 173 Appendix: Kashmir 174 Chapter 3 191 Economic Overview 191 Economic Overview 192 Nominal GDP and Components 195 Population and GDP Per Capita 197 Real GDP and Inflation 198 Government Spending and Taxation 199 Money Supply, Interest Rates and Unemployment 200 Foreign Trade and the Exchange Rate 201 Data in US Dollars 202 Energy Consumption and Production Standard Units 203 Energy Consumption and Production QUADS 205 World Energy Price Summary 206 CO2 Emissions 207 Agriculture Consumption and Production 208 World Agriculture Pricing Summary 211 Metals Consumption and Production 212 World Metals Pricing Summary 215 Economic Performance Index 216 Chapter 4 228 Investment Overview 228 Foreign Investment Climate 229 Foreign Investment Index 233 Corruption Perceptions Index 246 Competitiveness Ranking 257 Taxation 266 Stock Market 267 Partner Links 268 Chapter 5 269 Social Overview 269 People 270 Human Development Index 274 Life Satisfaction Index 278 Happy Planet Index 289 Status of Women 298 Global Gender Gap Index 302 Culture and Arts 311 Etiquette 311 Travel Information 315 Diseases/Health Data 325 Chapter 6 331 Environmental Overview 331 Environmental Issues 332 Environmental Policy 333 Greenhouse Gas Ranking 335 Global Environmental Snapshot 346 Global Environmental Concepts 357 International Environmental Agreements and Associations 371 Appendices 395 Bibliography 396 India Chapter 1 Country Overview India Review 2016 Page 1 of 408 pages India Country Overview INDIA India is the largest democracy and second most populous country in the world. Its history dates back to 2500 B.C.E., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.E., bringing the indigenous beliefs that evolved into Hinduism, and various empires followed. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkic in the 12th were followed by those of European traders beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas Gandhi brought independence in 1947, and Pakistan was established as a separate Muslim state because of Muslim-Hindu hostilities. There have been three wars between India and Pakistan since 1947, two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India is now one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a large skilled workforce. The country has a burgeoning urban middle class and has made great strides in fields such as information technology. However, India's economic growth remains constrained by inadequate infrastructure, bureaucracy, labor market rigidities, and regulatory and foreign investment controls. About 60 percent of the population is still living close to, or below, the poverty line. India Review 2016 Page 2 of 408 pages India Key Data Key Data Region: Asia Population: 1251695616 Climate: Varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north. English Hindi Bengali Telugu Marathi Tamil Urdu Gujarati Languages: Malayalam Kannada Oriya Punjabi Assamese Kashmiri Sindhi Sanskrit Currency: 1 Indian rupee (Rs) = 100 paise Anniversary of the Republic is 26 January (1950), Indian Independence Day Holiday: is 15 August, Gandhi Jayanti is 2 October Area Total: 3287590 Area Land: 2973190 India Review 2016 Page 3 of 408 pages India Coast Line: 7000 India Review 2016 Page 4 of 408 pages India India Country Map India Review 2016 Page 5 of 408 pages India Asia Regional Map India Review 2016 Page 6 of 408 pages India India Review 2016 Page 7 of 408 pages India Chapter 2 Political Overview India Review 2016 Page 8 of 408 pages India History Introduction In many senses, India shares significant portions of ancient history with the other cultures and people of the Indian sub-continent, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Surrounding powers from as far as Greece, eastern Europe, Arabia and Persia have also played a role in India's history. The more recent history of India -- prior to independence in 1947 -- is shared with the countries of the Indian sub-continent, and it heavily influenced by the colonial power of Great Britain. Likewise, in geopolitical terms, India also shares a political legacy with the countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ancient Indian Civilizations Though the origin of civilization in India is of the same date as several others like Egyptian, Sumerian and Chinese, India is the only country that has been able to keep a continuous and unbroken link with its past. As a result, the Indian culture has enriched over the past five millennia, accumulating knowledge and experiences from each passing generation. The people of India have had a continuous civilization since before 2500 B.C.E., when the inhabitants of the Indus River Valley developed a sophisticated urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. During its time, the Indus Valley civilization was the largest civilization of humans. At its prime, it covered an area of over 1.5 million square kilometers, almost half the size of today's India. The civilization, best known by its city centers of Harappa, Mohen-jo-daro and Lothal (in present- day Pakistan), was an impressive civilization. It was especially well known for its town planning and science and technology, which made it the most advanced human civilization of the period, which had also seen Egyptian, Sumerian and Chinese civilizations. And unlike its contemporary civilizations, the Indian civilization was by far the largest civilization, spread over an area that extended from the eastern borders of Iran in the west right up to eastern India in the east. The civilization is believed to have possessed the high quality architectural and town planning skills. India Review 2016 Page 9 of 408 pages India The towns had broad and straight streets, flanked by houses built of burnt brick on either side. The houses had an open courtyard, private wells and bathrooms. The drainage systems of the towns are amongst the most striking features of this civilization. Pottery pipes attached to the outer walls of the houses carried the wastewater and refuse from the houses to the large street drains, made of stone and carefully cemented and waterproofed with asphalt. Even the common bath and wash facilities like public tanks were lined properly in order to avoid water leaching. The civilization boasted of several ports and had contacts with various parts of the world. This is borne out by the discovery of Indus valley civilization coins and pieces around the world, especially in West and Central Asia and Southern Europe. Despite its distinctive development, however, the Indus valley civilization suddenly ceased to exist. Scientists are still debating the possible causes-which could be a sudden natural calamity like a devastating flood or an earthquake. The Ascendancy of Cultures and Civilizations from the West In its wake came the Indo-Aryans, an ethno-linguistic group with origins of almost the entire population of today's Europe and south Asia. It was during this period that some of the oldest surviving works of Indian literature and religious scripture were composed. Of these works, the Rig Veda is principally recognized as the oldest book in the world. The Indo-Aryan civilization, too, kept up the contacts with the outside world. This civilization, like its predecessor, flourished and hence, often invited unwelcome attention from invading forces, which were attracted by the stories of wealth in the Indian sub-continent. Towards the end of 500 B.C.E., the northwestern part of the sub-continent became susceptible to attacks from the enemies. Due to the Himalayas in the north and the sea all around south and deep jungles on the east, the Indian subcontinent was vulnerable to foreign attacks only from the northwestern part, a fact that had led to several drastic changes in the history of this region. In 522 B.C.E., Persian Emperor Darius I became the first foreign king to lead an attack on India, capturing Punjab and Sindh relatively easily. This small region was a critical victory for the Persians, because of its contribution of 10 tons of gold each year as tribute to the Persian Empire. The great city of Takshashila became the capital of the Indian sub-continent territory under the reign of the Persian King, Darius I. For over 200 years, the area remained under nominal Persian control. Around 330 B.C.E., however, Greek Emperor Alexander defeated Persian King Darius III and took control of the Persian Empire. He, too, was attracted to the wealth and prestige of the Indian sub-continent and in 326 B.C.E. he entered Punjab. Although Alexander managed to capture chunks of Punjab, his travel-weary army soon tired of the wars and mutinied, forcing Alexander to return to Greece. India Review 2016 Page 10 of 408 pages India The Birth of New Religions Meanwhile, the 6th century B.C.E. saw the birth of two important religions-Buddhism and Jainism. (Note that India is also the birthplace of the world's oldest major religion - Hinduism). The founders of both the religions of Buddhism and Jainism were born around the same time and in the same part of India-today's Bihar state.