T he S pecificity of I ndian I ndustrialisation The experience of industrialisation in India is in many ways similar to the western model and in many ways different. Comparative analysis of different countries suggests that there is no standard model of industrial capitalism. Let us start with one point of difference, relating to what kind of work people are doing. In developed countries, the majority of people are in the services sector, followed by industry and less than % are in agriculture (ILO figures).
In India, in – , nearly % were employed in the primary sector (agriculture and mining), % in the secondary sector (manufacturing, construction and utilities), and % in the tertiary sector (trade, transport, financial services, etc.) However, if we look at the contribution of these sectors to economic growth, the share of agriculture has declined sharply, and services contribute approximately more than half. This is a very serious situation because it means that the sector where the maximum people are employed is not able to generate much income for them. In India, in – the share of employment in agriculture was . %, in mining and quarrying .
%, in manufacturing it was . %, in trade, hotel and restaurant it was . %, in transport, storage, communication it was . %, in community, social and personal services it was .
%. According to the convergence thesis put forward by modernisation theorist Clark Kerr, an industrialised India of the 21st century shares more features with China or the United States in the 21st century than it shares with 19th century India. Do you think this is true? Do culture, language and tradition disappear with new technology or does culture influence the way people adapt to new products?
Write a page of your own reflections on these issues, giving examples.