ABSTRACT

India's image as a powerful player in global politics and a contender to superpower status is boosted by its explosive economic growth and demographic trends. While competition with China for Asian supremacy and terrorist threats from Pakistan are seen by many as the major obstacles to the realization of India's growth potential, the human security challenges described in this volume have received far less attention. Analysts who ignore or underestimate these challenges not only run the risk of overlooking key impediments to India's development, but may also fail to recognize the gravity of current threats to the welfare and very survival of millions of Indian citizens. This alone warrants a more concerted academic attention to the study of India's human security challenges.