ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the causes of declining public health outcomes across both urban and rural India, utilizing existing research, government documents, and other published materials. It deals with an analysis of India’s healthcare challenges through the lens of policy capacity, focusing on the importance of analytical and individual-level capacities for both core and periphery regions of the country. The chapter describes environmental conditions that exacerbate public health challenges in India. A disorganized and under-resourced healthcare system is not the only explanation for India’s poor public health outcomes. Increasing exposure to atmospheric and environmental pollutants, in combination with a shortage of access to basic necessities such as clean water, air, and sanitation, are also contributors. Even in their workplaces, wage workers are unable to escape environmental threats to their health. These workers are often employed in manual and physically stressful jobs with disproportionately high exposure to hazardous pollutants.
