Factors affecting Wellbeing in India – note taking sheet
Factor and description Classification with justification
Caste System A system that divides communities into different groups
due to their jobs.
Social factor Lower classes are not allowed to interact with other classes
Colonial Past The British Raj – Period of time where Britain controlled
india from the late 18th century to 1947
Political/Historical factor of SHEEPT Started with the British east india company, originally
traders, establishing a presence trading on the south.
British rule extended with military power with the British
believing they would have the power to control the
territory.
Water Issues Key issues:
- Excessive demand for fresh water
Environmental factor due to lack of access/availability of - Large amounts of water pollution
clean water - Unreliable water supply structures (mainly in
Also social due to population affecting the water urban)
distribution - Unsustainable water use (rural – farming) – don’t
save enough for themselves
How it affects wellbeing negatively How it affects wellbeing positively
The society is very structures which causes a lot of missed Helpful when India was freed from Britain due to a proper
communication and there is little freedom of speech of the governing system but did not help overtime
lower classes, only the richer are benefitted by this.
The untouchables/Dalits, the lowest of the low, do all of
the manual labour jobs and those that are undesired.
Often are taken advantage of they
The Kshundras, the servants, are subordinates to the
Vaishyas, Khastriayas and Brahmins.
They are separate from the Dalits and cannot interact with
them but they can interact with the higher class. This is a
middle class
The Vaishyas are the businesspeople, however they do not
have power and can have the khundreaas as slaves
The Kshatriyas were made to be the knights and kings.
These are very influential people and are second to the
priests and academics.
The Brahmins are the highest level. These are priests and
academics and rule the society. Often these people are
discriminatory to lower classes.
Legacy: Legacy:
Left India in a poor economical state as the British were Unification of 550 city-states/princely states into one
very greedy and took as much as possible when leaving. country
Exploited the economy by seizing natural resources. Establishment of democracy
Restricted development of India to make England more Establishment of university, stock exchange, infrastructure
powerful than India (ports, dams, etc.)
Forces India to export commodities to Britain (also become The Banning of the caste system and abolition of certain
trading dumping ground for manufactured products) cultural practices, sati and infanticide
Left India politically unstable and in an arms race.
Indian empire of England split into India and Pakistan
Led to a religious civil war where 1mil people dies.
Wellbeing of both sides suffered due to war and economic
uncertainty.
New borders were established causing 14 million + families
crossing the border to seek a better life
Rapid population growth increased a need for clean
drinking water
Not enough water causes 200,000 people + to die every
year because of lack of safe drinking water. In the north
and in the south water is overexploited
Groundwater is naturally contaminated by common
poisonous chemicals (iron, arsenic, etc.)
 It’s very spread around in India, with very little
groundwater available

The water on the surface is very polluted from industrial

worke

The sewage systems are inadequate

More than 70% of surface water is polluted

In urban areas water is wates through transportation. In

Delhi, 40% of the water is transported through water
mains and is lost through leakage.

Due to cheap price of water in rural areas, the water is

overexploited
Population density Things affecting it India is much more densely populated in the North and the Cause india to have a larger labour force and the number
Migration patterns South than the middle areas, however all areas are still will increase with time as a snowball effect
Social factor Birth and Death rates very populated with on average 400 people per square km
demographic Age structure in each region Great rate of economic growth and development
Income levels With a higher population density natural disasters are
Economic opportunity much more fatal A place for foreign investment and tourism
Political stability and security
Cultural and religious practice 17.5% of the world’s population lives in India yet the land More people lead to a higher amount of money paid
Family planning and its policies only occupies 2.4% of the Earth’s surface. through taxes which can help fund healthcare and other
Access to healthcare areas (however not very true because of corrupt
Natural disasters and environmental issues Most populated regions are coastal areas government)

How many people are in a certain area, commonly people Overcrowding causes fight for natural resources
per km^2
Many people are found living in slums due to not
affordable housing

A high amount of water and air pollution due to the high

amount of exhaust and cars

A high amount of deforestation to build new areas for

living and for factories, etc.

The soil of India has grown to become very unhealthy,

polluted with many harmful chemicals

The healthcare and education services are suffering due to

a high demand of their contents

Inadequate access to water, housing and sanitation is very

dangerous towards specifically the rural population.

Political Culture
A Political factor of SHEEPT
A particular distribution of values, feelings, and
information that affect the behaviour of a nation’s citizens
and leaders throughout the political system.
BACKGROUND: India is a federation of states. Leaders are
based off the Westminster system (due to British colonial
past).
Has 2 major parties, the INC (Indian National Congress
And the PNC (Right Wing)
Government Corruption
Widespread, more common in the North. Overall 51% of
Indians have admitted to bribing.
Bribe 100 rupees to escape a traffic line.
Poor must bribe to receive a ration card.
Roughly 1 billion of 1.7 billion are held back because of the
corrupt government.
Takes away financial means from the people and the
The independents in the government positively impcact
the areas. – Cutting off ties with England
Citizens of India now have the ability to vote and have a
say in their own political system.
The Indian economy has become more secluded and hence
improved.
Due to growth there is also a more rapidly growing urban
middle class (poor are still impoverished).
 government is not trustworthy.

Middle class people have to pay bribes but are boosting

Access to sanitation Sanitation is a basic need – safeguarding people’s physical
wellbeing.
Environmental and Social factor of SHEEPT India has a serious challenge with 60% of the population
having open defecation. (Throw waste on the streets, etc.)
Child Exploitation The process of children being taken advantage of and used
against their will. Normally used for criminal activity, sexual
activity and economic purposes.
the economy
The poor in the villages are still very disadvantaged
Having inadequate access causes major problems. Leads to
physical health issues (viruses, diseases, air quality) and
mental health (human dignity, bad smell)
6.4% of the GDP goes into the sanitation process
6.3 million people in Mumbai live in one of 2000 slums
(54% of the population there)
The exploitation stems from migrants from Bhutan, Nepal
and Bangladesh. The young immigrants are promised jobs
by corporations in big cities but are lied to and made to do
tough labour for little money
Children being exploited has led to a humanitarian crisis
where stakeholders of the children are impacted. 10.1
million children are used as workers
Moving to the future
There is little access to sanitation systems
Increasing education and awareness is very important
Economic growth and social justice should increase the
rate of sanitation
An increase of infrastructure is needed but it is hard due to
land.
Leads to some small, negligible, impacts.
Makes it cheaper for companies to operate in india due to
a cheaper workforce.
This means there are more MNCs coming to India as the
workforce is cheaper (not for the children), causing more
competitiveness with MNCs.
YET, the MNCs exploit the Indian land

Many people are also being sexually exploited in India with

commercial and rural exploitation being more common,
catalyzed by the rize of mobile phones

Children being exploited do not gain acces to education,

not allowing htem to get a job, being stuck in the poverty
cycle
The children will not meaningfully contribute to society.

Means that the Indian work force is very littlly skilled and
many of the workers are illiterate due to lack of education
and cannot gain higher skill jobs because of this.

Contributes to a greater class divide.