A hard harsh reality. I have an aunt and cousin who finance entire villages. The officials are so corrupt it is pathetic. When Indian Nationals tell me about how Indian they are opposed to us Indians of the Diaspora I get livid abd use the foulest language to describe their insensitivity to their own nationals. Lower caste indians should start a revolution and kill some corrupt official in large numbers.

India has enough food to feed itself, the reality is that 60% rots before it gets to the market.

What is preventing them from improvising ways to save the waste and feed their people? 

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I am certain you are correct. Amartya Sen shot to fame in 1972 when he wrote a paper on the Bengal famines. Basically he showed that the cause was not due to a shortage of food but how food was distributed to those in dire need.

Graft is one...Baseman gave another reason.

Banna, Indians are in a mindset you cannot change.

TK, this is the case many times in many countries however, there has been a silent famine in India unnoticed and ongoing for decades.  The Bengal famines at that time (1970's) were largely driven by the Indo/Pak war over Bangladesh. However, today go to villages and you see how many adults and adult kids lacking in size and physical maturity (pashuma).  Also many young mothers developing bone problems at a very young age due to lack of calcium and D3.  I knew of many very youthful people you died of all sorts of illnesses, even in Mumbai.  Seems their resistance is low.

I traveled around many parts of India and met many people, high and low and all caste and religions.  My observation, there seem to be a lack of coherency in development plans across the board, alot to do with execution than a Plan itself.  Due to this, the education system is fragmented and those who can afford to have their kids crammed to score 95 get into state university, others are left out.  The infrastructure is underdeveloped which inhibits the efficient movement of goods and services across the nation.  This cause lots of losses and higher end costs, thus the on-going food crisis.  This is being compounded further by the wealth growth in the 6 metropoles resulting in an increase in demand for meat products and putting a further strain on the "poor man's" food supply.

One real and good example of this, the CEO of Bisleri water says it costs him more to ship bottled water from Mumbai to north of India, Masoori, Shimla, etc, than to ship from Mumbai to London.  If this is not a real reflection of the problem, then what is.

The local Govts have huge hand out (couponed) food programs for the poor, but this is not the long-term solution as it's like the food-stamp program here except it's food subsidy, not free.  However, this hardly ever reaches to the villages.  Understand why you have so many village families set up home on the streets of Mumbai.  This gives them access to day labor jobs and the food subsidy programs.  They eat, shit and sleep right on the streets.  Every so often a careless driver would run over them and free the space for the next group.

This is having a major impact on People development and the larger society.  However, don't only blame the Govt, it's a society problem.  The Govt is a reflection of the people, they have elected them and it's for them to hold them accountable.  Indira Gandhi tries her best, but she was booted from power due to it.  I met people who criticizes the behavior of Govt officials, yet they behave exactly like that and don't even see it.  It's every man for himself, an open "us and them" mentality.  This is no different than Guyana, don't blame the Govt, it's how the people want it.

I had umteen enlogated discussions with people over there on this topic.  I can tell you, little will change, India is headed for a cliff and everyone will continue to point their finger to everyone else.

I know Baseman statements on this Topic is accurate since he was there on the ground listening, observing and communicating with the People affected. You dont have to be a genius to know that India is a CORRUPT place. And he is RIGHT, if they are going to be a Superpower, they will need to drop many, many of their ways. It is painful to know that Rich Indians mostly are only concerned with themselve and dont care a damn about the POOR. Yet, these same People will pretend to be Religious and preach spirituality and compassion. How can one be religious without a heart????

Corruption !

An Indian man told me recently "You know alot about my country and you are not indian".  I think to myself this ediot does not see me as indian.

KId, It is not only Corruption but a false sense of believing that individualism is the key( Only concern with Family), the attitude of Govt, the backwardness of Local Govt, the lack of Law and Order in rural areas, the dependence by many on Govt and Slave Masters. We can go on and on but my point is that India is riddled with Economic, Social and financial problems. It will take a very long time and GREAT efforts to change.

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But one must be a genius to see that Guyana has a corrupt government?

Maybe the fella meant country of origin vs race...but you are right about these folks not seeing us a real indians

Indians are from India. We are IndoGuyanese.

Bhai, we must show our concern for Mother India's children. 

BHARAT MATA KI JAI!

One thing I can tell you, the females of India appreciated me alot, as an Indian man with a Western heart.

Give the women of India the power and authority, they will modernize India much faster.  Women are more open to shedding some of the relics of India's culture as it's oppressive to them, but the men dominate.

India have more than enough resources to get out of Poverty.Unfortunately Those who can help do nothing.

The greatest resource to get a society out of poverty are it's people resource.  Swiss, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Finland etc became wealthy on it's people, their innovation, rule of law and hard work.  Natural resource helps to augment the human element, as the case in Denmark, but it's not THE ingredient.

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Eh...eh...Gurl you picking fight with Pavi.

Google the term "OBC" (Other Backward Castes) of India and see what it means.  This is an official term by the Govt of India and if this does not tell you about the pervasive mindset of Indians towards their own, then what will.

The categorization of 30% as "backward" is, by definition, blaming the illiteracy and poverty of their "backwardness" not on the social system which places them in a situation of oppression and backwardness.  As they say, you put a man in a cage, he acts like an animal, then you say that's why he is in a cage.

Reality really hits us when a country with such a high starvation rate boasts modern apartments like these in Mumbai.  Great article btw.

This building is going up near where I lived in Powai.  It's priced at approx 2.5-3 mil USD a pop.  A special lift takes you and your car (up to two cars) to you apartment door.

It seems as though skinny dipping is a no no in these buildings.

 We have to realise(And I know Baseman is aware) that there are over 350 Million who are better off than most of us. There are another 450 Million who are just making it and the other 350 Million in real SHIT!

there is a wonderful book about India's dysfunction called the "upside down tree". It's conclusion is that India is in serious trouble and contrary to common notion popularize by cities like Bangalore you have cities like Lucknow in in awful contrast.

Yesterday CNN had an article noting that India is the worse place in the world for women. I would have guessed Pakistan or Afghanistan or any of the otherstans!

How come you thought Guyana was the worst place in the world for women? You stood up for Jagdeo Ex-wife (Varshanie) as though you marry to the woman. So, do you agree that a bitch slap on a spoil brat is Ok once in a while? You need a cane cutter to put some good lash pun you rass, stormy.

Not as you would think.  These numbers are thrown out there, but reality is different.  Of the 350 mil, only 10-15% are upper-mid class Western standard, and they are in 6 metropolis.

I saw a market analysis when i was there for Western cancer drugs, the total came to 32k out of the 350 mil.  Also, the total market for you favorite "KFC" and McDonalds is 100 mil, not the total 350 mil.

The number living "in real SHIT" is more like 600-700 mil.

 You are really trolling. First, as the above stated I already had an opinion on that and was wrong. Guyana was not my first choice. I most certainly would have stated that fact.

Secondly, Jagdeo's lie to the nation that he had a wife is not my lie but his. Also, that he on her accounting and I have no reason to doubt her, abused her.  I stood up for the respect for the office of the presidency that a liar and an abuser ( not mentioning his political corruption) alone meant he was not right for the office,

I do not know what you mean by bitch slapping spoiled brats. I know that if  a child is acting up and there is no chemical imbalance or other health problem then the parent has failed and not the child. Why would I treat a child any worse than my dogs? As the saying is there are no bad dogs just bad owners. Similarly, bad children are home raised. Correction as with the dog begins with behavior modification of the parent.

I do not know why a cane cutter would be best as beating me? I can assure you that I had my share of fights with them growing up so I do not see why fighting with them now would prove different.

Women are kept under tight leash in India.  This has prevented many professional females from outlying areas getting good jobs in the city.  No one rents an apartment to a single female of even set of females.  They must have a husband, brother, parents or grandparents, living with them or they never are allowed.

On the other hand, young women are prone to being molested alot and everyone takes precaution to not be blames.  The police do set up traps to catch these guys like the cops here do for speeders.   However, the same police turns on the women if they are out late, etc as they get the blame if anything happens to her.

That whole society is "F"ed up.

The biggest threat to food self-sufficiency in India is this guy.

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India does not have a food shortage. Communists like you don't want to address the reason for this starvation.

He has as much input there in the lack of self sufficiency as your dad in your transformation into a conspiracy theorist and larouche nutcase disciple.

Do you still think we are facing nuclear conflagration by the end of the year? 

I hope you are a doomsday prepper and has your tunnel somewhere in the mountains  fully equipped for a nuclear winter! I will be on a beach somewhere laughing my ass off at your idiocy on January 1, 2013

India's food shortage is tied to a lack of proper storage and handling facilities, corrupt politicians and caste Brahmanas who suppress the poor by supporting a system that is not in accordance scripture but created by them to have complete control over the less educated and the poor.

India's social and political problems might one day lead to a massive revolt by the the poor. It is disgusting to see anyone denying that India does not have major social and political problems.

Discrimination based on caste or class is unacceptable and will only be wiped out by a major revolt against the current establishment. India just gave the IMF 20 Billion for the bailout fund while it's people are starving.

I wonder who is in charge ?

I did not say that India has a food shortage. India became self-sufficient in food during the administration of Indira Gandhi, who, like myself, was not a communist. An important factor was the "green revolution" breakthroughs of scientist Norman Borlaug, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his work in India. It is this work which the moronic Prince Chuck is attacking when he says "And we continue to ignore the painful lessons of the so-called green revolution in India by intensifying our food production methods in such blinkered, chemically and technologically-based ways, that the land and the oceans are now both beginning to fail." Chuck's solution is "starve 'em and seize their raw materials."