According to Oxfam’s income inequality report that released on January 21, the wealth of the top 1% Indians grew by 39% while that of the bottom 50% grew only by 3%. The report also states that the wealth of Indian billionaires swelled by Rs 2,200 crore a day in 2018, while globally, the fortunes of billionaires rose by $2.5 billion.
Here are 5 examples that show glaring wealth disparity in India —
When we only value cricketers and forget about medallists
Virat Kohli, who happens to be the highest-paid sportsman in India, is believed to be around $60 million. He endorses valuable brands, then there is his IPL salary.
On the other hand, Buli Basumatary, a gold medallist at the National Senior Archery Championship, had to resort to selling oranges in order to sustain herself and her family. Trained at the Sports Authority of India, Basumatary won two gold medals and a silver at the National Sub-Junior Archery Championship, before putting archery on hold due to an injury. After being denied a job in Assam Police, she started selling oranges on the highway.
When 1000-crore weddings overshadow mass weddings
The grand wedding of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, that was held in December 2018, reportedly cost over Rs 700 crore. The Ambanis had to hire over 100 chartered flights to fly guests to and from Udaipur and according to a Bloomberg report, the wedding ceremony itself cost Rs 110 crore.
Over 90 couples tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony organised for orphaned girls in January in Surat. Last year, around 105 couples tied the knot in Kashmir’s biggest-ever mass marriage function. The event was sponsored by Jaffria council that provides financial and social support to couples who cannot meet the expenses needed for a marriage.
When food at luxury restaurants is expensive, but farmers still can’t earn
Farmers from 24 states converged in New Delhi in November 2018 to participate in the Kisan Mukti March, demanding debt waivers and procurement of their produce at remunerative prices. In March, a sea of farmers reached the Azad Maidan in Mumbai to take part in Kisan Long March to press for unconditional waiver of loans, a minimum support price for agriculture produce and a pension scheme for farmers.
According to a report in The Hindu, New Delhi is home to some of the most expensive restaurants in India with the average à la carte meal for two costs Rs 5,000 and an entire tasting menu being served for Rs 6,000.
When the water we waste in cities affects villages
According to rainwaterharvesting.org, Delhi has the highest average water consumption in India, estimated at 24o litres per capita per day. In many areas of south Delhi, the groundwater level has gone down from 5 feet to 11 feet.
A survey conducted of household domestic water consumption patterns in Mohabbatpur village of Hisar district in Haryana, barely 160 km away from Delhi, revealed that the demand for water has led to increased tensions and disputes over sharing of water resources. The daily average water consumption for the village was found to be 117 litres per person per capita per day — around half as much as that of a Delhiite.
When kids have to travel long distances to reach school in villages
According to a study by Indian Statistical Institute, the average distance to the nearest secondary school has reduced from 3.44 km to 5.59 km in villages in a matter of 10 years. The nearest middle-school from the village centre is also around average 2.5 km away. This, in turn, has affected the teacher-to-student ratio. In Kaho village, Arunachal Pradesh, there are more than 300 students in Class X, which makes nearly 100 students in each classroom — highlighted in Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).
Schools in Noida, on the other hand, have enforced a 1-km proximity rule when it comes to nursery admissions. In Delhi, a child seeking admission in Nursery class is awarded points on the basis of neighbourhood parameter, with the most desired distance for a child to travel is under 1 km.
While noting the high level of wealth disparity in the country, Oxfam said,
“India’s top 10 per cent of the population holds 77.4 per cent of the total national wealth. The contrast is even sharper for the top 1 per cent that holds 51.53 per cent of the national wealth. The bottom 60 per cent, the majority of the population, own merely 4.8 per cent of the national wealth. Wealth of top 9 billionaires is equivalent to the wealth of the bottom 50 per cent of the population.”
