> -Caste system still alive and kicking
>From what I understand, caste is a dominant issue only in the most
impoverished rural regions. Small towns, not so much. In the cities (which
are growing fast), caste is a residual formation. Language, ethnicity,
wealth, family status, religious affiliation, and gender are all more
important.
India is poor because colonialism plundered the place for 300 years and the British didn't leave until 1947 (most estimates say per capita income was almost unchanged between 1850 to 1920). Investment rates under the British were 10-12% of GDP; they hit 15% (replacement rate) in the 1950s and 20% (growth) in the 1960s.
> -Extremely low literacy rate
> Literacy:
> total population: 61% (2001 census)
Literacy was barely 10% in 1947, so they've made huge progress. Do they have a long way to go? Sure. But literacy rates are now 80% or higher in young people, and people are now buying hundreds of millions of cellphones.
> Life expectancy at birth:
> total population: 66.46 years (2010 est.)
Life expectancy was in the mid-30s in 1947. Compared to many other nations which won their independence in the mid- to late-20th century, India has done pretty well.
-- DRR