Economic reform: Social Sector & Social Infrastructure

The social sector is generally defined as a sector dealing with social and economic activities carried out by the Government and Non-Government organizations to help society on a non-profit or not-for-profit basis. The social sector is important in India and includes several important components such as education, health and medical care, drinking water and sanitation, social security, environment, food, etc. The sector provides backing to vulnerable communities, creates positive change in the form of new policies and programs, and works to create a better quality of life for all.

Health, housing, and education are the three main pillars of social infrastructure. These are the basic facilities that any society needs to ensure citizens enjoy a better standard of living. We may find that better social infrastructure is the major driver for the progress of developed countries.

Health Infrastructure: Health Infrastructure includes doctors, nurses, hospitals, and various paramedical professionals, equipment, and beds needed in the hospitals and a well-developed pharmaceutical industry. A developed health infrastructure also guarantees a country of strong and healthy manpower for the production of goods and services. The country’s healthcare industry, which comprises hospitals, medical devices and equipment, health insurance, clinical trials, telemedicine, and medical tourism, has been growing at a compound annual growth rate of around 22 per cent since 2016 and was estimated to reach $372 billion in 2022. However, India’s health infrastructure is completely inadequate for the population of the country. According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report there are just 0.5 public hospital beds for every 1000 people in India. To adequately meet the population’s healthcare demands, India needs 3.5 million more hospitals. Many primary healthcare centres (PHCs) lack basic infrastructural facilities such as beds, rooms, bathrooms, drinking water facilities, and clean labour rooms for childbirth, and regular electricity plagues primary health centers (PHCs) across the nation.

The main responsibility of the Health Ministry India is to provide hygienic health care solutions for all and supervise the basic health infrastructure development in India by construction of hospitals, nursing homes, and dispensaries as per the needs of the area. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare India has set up many state-run hospitals that provide subsidized medical facilities to all. Besides these health ministry-run health institutions, many private companies have also set up big hospitals and specialty clinics that provide health care services. The specialty healthcare institutions include heart institutes, cancer hospitals, nursing homes, and many others.

Some of the key Government Initiatives Related to Healthcare:

1. National Health Mission: The NHM envisages the achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality healthcare services that are accountable and responsive to people’s needs. The Centre is set to rename the National Health Mission as Pradhan Mantri-Samagra Swasthya Mission (PM-SSM). The National Health Mission (NHM) encompasses its two Sub-Missions, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the newly launched National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). It aims to offer superior health services to every age group and gender. The policy focuses on providing universal access to excellent quality healthcare services at a reasonable cost.
2. Ayushman Bharat: The Ayushman Bharat Yojana, now called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), aims to be one of the world’s largest health insurance schemes. It aims to offer a health insurance plan of Rs. 5 lakh annually per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization, benefiting over 12 crore vulnerable families.
3. PM National Dialysis Programme: The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) was rolled out on 07th April 2016 as part of the National Health Mission (NHM) for the provision of free dialysis services to the poor. The programme has two components namely Hemodialysis (HD) services & Peritoneal dialysis (PD) services.
4. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) launched on 1st June 2011 entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to free and no-expense delivery, including cesarean section.
5. Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK): Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) is a new initiative aimed at screening over 27 crore children from 0 to 18 years for 4 Ds – Defects at birth, Diseases, Deficiencies and Development Delays including Disabilities.

Education: The education system in India consists of primarily six main levels Nursery Class, Primary Class, Secondary Level, Higher Secondary Level, Graduation, and Post-Graduation

The Government of India’s target to achieve a 100% literacy rate has never been achieved except for Kerala state. Also, the unorganized education sector with many state and national level education boards operating like the SSLC, ICSE, CBSE, IB, and IGCSE having different curriculum and study patterns provides non-uniformity to the Indian education system.

The key initiatives introduced by the Government in Educational social infrastructure are as follows.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme, one hot-cooked free meal will be provided to the children studying in Government and government–aided schools. The Scheme is implemented across the country by the Government covering all the eligible children without any discrimination of gender and social class.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the universalization of free elementary education; The SSA aims to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. It strives to ensure that every child has access to quality elementary education. The program focuses on reducing gender and social disparities in education. It ensures equal opportunities for all.

Housing: The Indian government has implemented various schemes and incentives to promote homeownership and support homebuyers. These initiatives aim to make housing more affordable, encourage investment in real estate, and stimulate economic growth. In this blog, we will explore some of the vital government schemes for homebuyers and incentives available for homebuyers in India, helping you understand their benefits and opportunities.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) (URBAN), was formerly called Indira Awas Yojana and was renamed in March 2016. Housing for All was a mission that was launched by the Government of India and targeted at promoting to boost homeownership. It aimed at achieving ‘Housing for All’ by the year 2022. All statutory towns as per Census 2011 and towns notified subsequently would be eligible for coverage under the Mission. Note: States/UTs will have the flexibility to include in the Mission the Planning area as notified concerning the Statutory Town, and which surrounds the concerned municipal area. All loan accounts under the Scheme will be linked to Aadhaar.

PMAY (rural) has created rural housing programs as well. With the PMGAY welfare program, house loans up to Rs. 2 lakh are eligible for a 3% discount on interest rates. This advantage is available in rural regions for remodeling both new and existing homes. The eligibility requirements are the same as for PMAY (Urban), with the following extra information:

1. A household using this program shouldn’t have a sturdy home.
2. The only members of the beneficiary’s family should be their spouse and/or their unmarried children.
3. Benefits of this program are available to Scheduled Cast (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), BPL non-SC or ST individuals, and free bonded labourers.

Conclusion: The government of India has been investing an enormous amount of money into the development of social infrastructure by launching various landmark programmes for the social development of the citizens. It contributes indirectly to the economic development of a country. For example, education has no direct role in the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country.

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