Overview
In the past decade, India has built highways, metro lines, expanded infrastructure, achieved widespread electrification, and launched digital public platforms. All these have been treated as the backbone of growth and have attracted large public investment. However, one essential foundation – care – has not received comparable focus.
Key Developments
- Massive expansion of transport corridors and urban metro networks.
- Near‑universal household electrification, reducing energy poverty.
- Launch of online portals for tax filing, land records, and welfare schemes.
- Continued reliance on informal, unpaid unpaid care work by families.
Important Facts
- Infrastructure projects receive dedicated budget allocations and policy frameworks, while care services lack a unified national strategy.
- Women bear the brunt of unpaid care, leading to lost earnings and limited participation in the formal economy.
- Absence of systematic care provision hampers human capital development and social equity.
Exam Relevance
The article highlights the policy gap between physical infrastructure and social care. Candidates should link this to:
- GS Paper III – Social justice, gender equity, and the role of the state in providing welfare services.
- GS Paper II – Governance challenges in designing inclusive public‑investment programmes.
- GS Paper III – Impact of unpaid care work on labour force participation and economic growth.
Way Forward
- Formulate a National Care Policy that integrates health, childcare, and elder‑care into the development agenda.
- Allocate dedicated budgetary resources for community‑based care centres, especially in rural and urban slums.
- Promote gender‑responsive employment schemes that recognise and compensate unpaid care work.
- Leverage digital public platforms to monitor care service delivery and ensure accountability.
- Encourage public‑private partnerships to build affordable childcare and elder‑care infrastructure.
Addressing the care deficit will complement India’s infrastructure achievements, fostering inclusive growth and reducing gender‑based disparities.