Infrasturcure refers to all such activities, services and facilities that are needed to provide different kinds of services in an economy. It provides supporting services to the main areas of industry, agriculture production and trade and commerce. includes services like railways, roads, irrigation, public utility (electricity communication, health, energy etc) and so on.
In other words, Infrastructure refers to the support system of the economic and social development of the economy.
Kinds of infrastructure
Infrastructure is basically classified into 2 categories
- Economic infrastructure
It includes such elements of infrastructure which are essential for the development of the economy
It includes transportation, communication, electricity, science and technology and financial distribution.
It promotes the economics activities of the country.
- Socialist infrastructure
It includes such services and provisions which improves the quality of resources and the standard of living. It accelerates the process of human development.
It includes education, health, housing etc.
A good social infrastructure increases the productive capacity of an individual.
Importance of infrastructure
- Increases productivity
The productivity of an economy directly depends upon the infrastructure. A well developed infrastructure always accelerates the production capacity of the economy
Example-Proper Irrigation facilities improves the crop production
2. It Provides employment opportunities
Development of infrastructure facilities increases the employment opportunities in an economy
Example-construction of road requires manpower and hence it creates employment opportunities. etc
3. It facilitates the functioning of an economy
In order to operate and work with full efficiency, the economy needs well developed infrastructural facilities, such as proper communication facilities, transportation facilities, electricity, banking etc.
4. Promotes economic growth
The growth of an economy depends upon many factors such as production capacity, human capital formation, quality of life etc and in order to promote and enhance the above factors, a well developed infrastructure facilities are mandatory.
5. Improves quality of life
Proper education, health care facilities and standard of living comprises the quality of life, and the socialist infrastructure mainly focuses on these sectors only Increase in quality of life improves the ability of an individual to work
6. Facilitates outsourcing
A country with well developed infrastructure facilities always becomes a center of outsourcing work. From past few years, India is emerging as a global destination of Business process outsourcing, call centers etc, due to a good infrastructure.
State of infrastructure in our country
As per census 2001
56% household have Electricity
90% rural households use Bio Fuel
24% have tap water availability
34% of expenditure on GDP over infrasturcture.
Energy
One of the most important and key component of economic infrastructure is energy
it can be treated as lifeline of production activity across all the sectors of the economy.
Sources of energy
- Commercial and non commercial sources of energy
- Commercial sources
It is a type of source of energy which are formed in termed of price These goods are largely used for commercial purposes in the factories They have a market of sale and purchase It is non renewable in nature Example-coal, petroleum, electricity, natural gas etc
- Non-commercial sources
They are the sources of energy which are found as a gift from nature
They are renewable sources of energy These are used for domestic and consumption purposes Example-cow dung, firewood, animal waste etc
- Conventional and non conventional sources of energy
I. Conventional sources
The energy which have a long history of their knowledge and use In other words, it refers to the sources of energy which we are using since long period of timeIt is limited in nature They are non-renewable These sources of energy generally pollutes the environment
These sources of energy are more expensive in nature Example-coal, petroleum, natural gas etc
II. Non-conventional sources
The sources of energy which comes into existence in the recent past In other words, it refers to the sources of energy which has been discovered because of modern technology (used just from past few years
They are unlimited in nature They are renewable in nature
It generally does not pollute the environment They are less expensive in nature
Example-solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, bio mass etc
Consumption pattern of energy
- In India commercial energy consumption is 74%
- Coal provides 54%of commercial energy
- Oil provides 32% of commercial energy
- Natural gas provides 10% commercial energy
- Hydro energy provides 2%
Power/electricity
One of the most critical and most important components of infrastructure which directly signifies the modern civilization is electricity With increase the development of the economy the demand of electricity is also increasing day by day.
The rate of demand of power is far ahead than the growth rate of GDP
Sources of power generation
There are basically 3 sources of generation of electricity
- Thermal power
The power is generated through coal, oil and natural gas.
Around 67% of total electricity is generated through thermal power.
- Hydro and wind power
The power is generated through wind mill or from the waters of dams and fast flowing rivers
Around 14% of total electricity is generated through hydrol power.
- Nuclear power
The power is generated through radioactive elements (such as uranium)
Around 2% of total electricity is generated through nuclear power.
CHALLENGES IN POWER SECTOR
- Transmission and distribution loss
The first and foremost problem that is faced by the electricity department is the transmission and distribution loss.
The loss in electricity while flowing from one place to another can be due to backward technology or due to loss by theft.
2. Insufficient installed capacity
Although there exist massive production of electricity in the economy but the production is yet not sufficient to meet the demand
This deficit supply may results in power cuts, low voltage, excessive load on distribution and many other problems
3. Under utilization of capacity
One of the major drawbacks of power sector is the lack of proper utilization of thermal power stations. Due to lack of proper technology the power plants are underutilized.
In 2016-17, India was just able to utilize 60% of the total capacity
4. Shortage of raw materials
Thermal power plant, which is the main source of Indian power sector, is facing shortage of coal supplies and other raw materials due to which the power sector is inefficient.
5. Poor performance of State electricity boards
The state electricity board which provides electricity supply in the economy are running in huge losses, these boards lacks funds to make payment for the electricity purchased by them.
This shortage of fund may be due to distribution loss, theft of power, free power in agriculture etc
6. Lack of public cooperation/public unrest
Due to heavy taxes and massive power cuts across the different parts of the country power sector always lack the cooperation of general public.
Measures to overcome challenges of power sector
- Reduce transmission and distribution loss
In order to meet the demand of power the first and most important task is to the wastage of power
The power which is waste during transmission and distribution should minimized; it can be done by improvement in technology, stop theft of power
2. Improve plant load factor
As stated earlier, the main deficit of power sector is the under utilization of plants So the main task of the power sector is to make proper utilization of exist capacity of the power stations. It will help to increase the power generation with increasing the number of plants
Plant load factor (PLF) indicates the capacity utilization of a plant
3. Increase production capacity
The installed capacity of the existing plants needs to be increased, so that the supply of electricity across all the sectors of the economy can match the desired amount of demand
4. Increase the supply of Inputs
Thermal power plants in India (which generally faces shortage of inputs) must receive regular supply of inputs (coal and other raw materials). This would ensure fully utilization of existing plant capacity
5. Promote the use of CFL and LEDS
Use of such appliances which consume less amount of electricity must be Promoted CFL (Compact Fluorescent light) and LEDS (Light emitting diodes) provides electrification in the economy with low amount of consumption of energy and power.
6. Encourage FDI and privatization of power generation
Private sector must play a significant role in the generation of power in india The government must encourage the participation of private sector and foreign direct investment (FDI) in power generation
Important Points about Health and Health Infrastructure
• Health is not only absence of disease but also the ability to realise one’s potential. It is a yardstick of one’s well being
• Health is the holistic process related to the overall growth and development of the nation
• Health improves the efficiency and productivity of a person and he is able to contribute more in the economic development of a country.
• It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that health facilities are accessible toall the people.
• Development of health infrastructure ensures a country of healthy manpower for production of goods and services.
Health infrastructure includes hospitals, doctors, nurses and other paramedical professionals, beds, equipments required in hospitals and a well-developed pharmaceutical industry. Mere presence of health infrastructure is not sufficient to have healthy people. It she be accessible to all the people.
• Health Infrastructure is an important indicator to understand the healthcare delivery provisions and mechanisms in a country. It also signifies the investments and priority accorded to creation of infrastructure in public and private sectors.
Health Status after Independence
The government has the constitutional obligation to guide and regulate all health related issues such as medical education, adulteration of food, drugs and poisons, medical profession, vital statistics, mental deficiency and lunacy.
• The Union Government evolves broad policies and plans through the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare. It collects information and renders financial and technical assistance to state governments, union territories and other bodies, for implementation of important health programmes in the country.
• It is a well-known fact that India is the second largest populated country in the world. But the health status of a great majority of the people is far from satisfactory as compared to
China and other developed countries.
However, over the last five decades, India has built up health infrastructure and made considerable progress in improving the health of its population.
Expansion of Public Health Infrastructure Over the years, India has built up a vast health infrastructure and manpower at different levels.
• At the village level, a variety of hospitals, technically known as Primary Health Centres (PHCs), have been set up by the government.
• India also has a large number of hospitals run by voluntary agencies and the private sector. These hospitals are manned by professionals and para-medical professionals trained in medical, pharmacy and nursing colleges.
• Since independence, there has been a significant expansion in the physical provision of health services (Refer Table 8.4). During 1951-2015
•:• Number of hospitals and dispensaries increased from 9,294 to 51,300 t:. Nursing personnel increased from 18,054 to 28.8 lakh;
•:. Allopathic Doctors increased from 61,800 to 10.4 lakh
•:. Hospital beds increased from 1.2 lacs to 7.1 lacs
Role of Private Sector
In recent times, the role of private sector, in providing health services, has considerably grown.
• More than 70% of the hospitals in India are run by the private sector.
• Private sector control nearly two-fifth of beds available in the hospitals.
• Nearly 60% of dispensaries are run by the private sector.
• Private sector provides healthcare to 80% of outpatients and 46% of in-patients.
• Private sector plays a dominant role in medical education and training, medical technology and diagnostics, manufacture and sale of pharmaceuticals, hospital construction and the provision of medical services. In 2001-02, there were more than 13 lakh medical enterprises, employing 22 lakh people.
However, private sector in India has grown independently, without any major regulation. Some private practitioners are not even registered doctors and are known as quacks. The role of government in providing healthcare is still very important as poor people can depend only on government hospitals, due to huge expenses in private health services.
Indicators of Health and Health Infrastructure
It is a well-known fact that India is the second largest populated country in the world. But the health. status of a great majority of the people is far from satisfactory as compared to China and other developed countries.
• Expenditure on health sector is just 4.8% of total GDP. It is extremely low as compared to other developed and developing countries.
• India has about 17% of the world’s population but it bears a frightening 20% of the Global burden of disease (GBD). It is an indicator used by experts to measure the number of people dying prematurely due to a particular disease as well as the number of years spent by them in a state of disability owing tc me disease. In India, more than half of GBD is accounted due to communicable diseases, such as diarrhea, malaria and tuberculosis.
• Every year, around 5 lakh children die of water-borne diseases. The danger of AIDS is also looming large.
• Malnutrition and inadequate supply of vaccines lead to the death of 2.2 million children every year.
• At present, less than 20% of the population utilises public health facilities and only 38% of the PHCs have the required number of doctors and only 30% of the PHCs have sufficient stock of medicines.
Rural – Urban Divide (Poor – Rich Divide) People living in rural areas do not have sufficient health infrastructure. This has led to
Rural – Urban Divide (Poor – Rich Divide)
People living in rural area, do not have sufficient health infrastructure. This has led to differences in the health status of people.
70% of India’s population in rural areas, but only 20% of total hospitals and 50% of total dispensaries are located in rural areas. Out of about 6.3 lakh beds in government hospitals, only 30% beds are available in rural areas.
• The: are only 0,36 hospitals for every one lakh people in rural areas, while urban areas had 3.6 hospitals for the same number of people.
• The PHCs located in rural areas do not even offer X-ray or blood testing facilities, which constitutes basic healthcare. States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are relatively tagging behind in health care facilities.
• In the rural areas, the percentage of people, who have no access to proper healthcare facilities has increased over the last few years. Villagers have no access to any specialised medical care, like pediatrics, gynaecology, anaesthesia and obstetrics.
• Even though 380 recognised medical colleges produce 44,000 medical graduates every year, the shortage of doctors in rural areas persists.
20% of these graduates leave the country for better monetary prospects and many opt for private hospitals, located in the urban areas.
• The poorest 20% of Indians living in both urban and rural areas spend 12% of their income on healthcare while the rich spend only 2%.
Women Health
Women constitute about half the total population in India. They suffer many disadvantages as compared to men, in the areas of education, participation in economic activities and health care.
• The child sex ratio declined from 927 in 2001 to 914 in 2011. It indicates growing incidence of female foeticide tn the country.
• Around 3 lakh girls below 15 years of age are not only married but have already borne children at least
once.
• More than 50% of married women between the age group of 15 and 49 have anaemia and nutritional anaemia, caused by iron deficiency, which has contributed to 19% cent of maternal deaths.
• Abortions are also a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in India.
Health: A basic Human Right.
In order to provide basic healthcare to all, accessibility and affordability needs to be integrated in our basic health infrastructure. The ultimate goal should be to help people move towards a better quality of life.
(i) All citizens can get better health facilities if public health services are decentralised.
(ii) Success in the long-term battle against diseases depends on education and efficient health infrastructure. So, it is important to create awareness on health and hygiene and provide efficient systems.
(iii) Telecom and IT sectors can play an important role in improving the health process in the economy.
(iv) The effectiveness of healthcare programmes rests on primary healthcare. So, serious steps should be taken to improve them.
(v) Private-Public Partnership (PPP) can effectively ensure reliability, quality and affordability of both drugs and medicare.
Evaluation of health infrastructure in country
1. Inequitable distribution of Health Services: The existing health system suffers from inequitable distribution of institutions and manpower. About 70% of India’s population live in rural areas, but only 20% of total hospitals are located in rural areas. Most of the modern health facilities are available only in the urban areas.
2. Communicable Diseases: Increasing attention is urgently needed for prevention of Communicable diseases like AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), through effective control measures.
3. Poor Sanitation Facilities: Sanitation facilities are extremely poor in both rural and urban areas. About 30% of the houses in urban areas do not have toilet facilities and the condition in rural areas is even worse. Improvement in sanitation facilities are immediately needed for good health of the people.
4. Lack of Manpower: Even though, India produces 12,000 medical graduates every year, still there is huge shortage of manpower.
5. Malnutrition: Widespread malnutrition poses a major threat to the lives, especially in case of children.
6. Role of Private Sector: Public sector has not been so successful in providing adequate health structure. There is a need to increase collaboration of public sector with private sector to meet health care needs of people.