Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Jul 01: India, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu
India
Republic of India
Asia
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Geography
Area: 3,166,000 sq kmA further 121,000 sq km of Kashmir, a contested area, is administered by Pakistan and China. Geographically and politically, India dominates South Asia and the Indian Ocean. There are 28 Union States and 7 Union Territories.
Population: 1,214,464,312 Annual Growth: 1.44%
Capital: Delhi
Urbanites: 30.1%
HDI Rank: 134 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 2,533 (88% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Constitutionally there are 22 official languages. The official language is Hindi (spoken by 40% of the population). English is a subsidiary official language Languages: 456 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Hinduism| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 71,011,000 | 5.84 | 3.7 |
| Evangelicals | 26,290,283 | 2.2 | 3.9 |
| Hinduism | 902,711,323 | 74.33 |
Challenge for Prayer
Political, economic and social challenges to the country place a great burden upon India’s government. Much positive progress has been made in many areas; to consolidate and build on such progress, prayer is called for. Pray for India’s leaders, that they might:a) Continue to uphold the constitution by maintaining religious freedom and protecting religious and ethnic minorities. Religious freedom and affirmative action provisions in the constitution have recently come under threat. Some state governments have a poor record for abuse of human rights and discrimination against Christians, Muslims and Dalits; several states have passed anti-conversion laws that, among other things, deny state benefits to low-caste people who become Christian.
b) Uproot corruption in all levels of government – from national to state levels and right down to the local level. Mass media is a powerful means of exposing corruption, and the Right to Information Act forces government staff to be more accountable. With 100 of the 543 members of Parliament having criminal cases pending against them in 2010, clearly the system needs transparency. Pray for courage and resoluteness to stay the course when allowing a culture of corruption to persist is a much easier and safer option.
c) Tackle the serious ills of society with greater commitment and effectiveness – reduce malnutrition, which affects 40% of the population; improve the national infrastructure; deal with widespread use of child labour, bonded labour and female infanticide; tackle the rapid spread of AIDS and serious environmental degradation.
d) Address the growing threat of Maoist/Naxalite insurgency. The stretch of rural India from Nepal down to Andra Pradesh is known as the Red Corridor. These movements threaten stability and security, both locally and regionally. They also threaten the healthy growth of the Church through Naxalite infiltration of Christian communities and the general disruption caused by violence.
e) Manage the economic situation with wisdom. India has the world’s highest number of poor, the fourth-most millionaires and the greatest disparity between rich and poor. Millions enter the workforce every year; millions of jobs must be created to sustain them. Amid a growing economy and a growing middle class, ways to reduce poverty must also be found.
f) Wisely address increasing threats to stability, including terrorism, tensions with neighbouring countries, and Hindu nationalist groups and their targets: Christians, Muslims and Naxalites/Communists.
For an additional 14 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of India.Sikkim
India
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Challenge for Prayer
Specific vision in Sikkim touches on several areas. Pray for development of a shared vision and strategy by churches for the effective evangelization of Sikkim.a) Leadership development is a key ministry. GFA, Sikkim Bible Institute, House of Revival and Evangelical Presbyterians as well as others focus on training and raising up pastors and leaders for the many leaderless new congregations constantly forming. This coincides with the formation of local mission agencies such as the Evangelical Mission (Presbyterians).
b) Outreach from Sikkim to neighbouring nations. Nestled in the lower range of the Himalayas, Sikkim is linked to Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet – a highly strategic location. Pray that Sikkim will bring light to its neighbours and within India as well.
For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Sikkim.Tamil Nadu
India
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
The less evangelized. Despite the large Christian presence and numerous agencies, large segments of the population remain unreached:a) Northern and western districts have far fewer Christians than the coastal areas, where churches are much stronger.
b) Higher caste groups have very little outreach directed toward them. These upper and middle class peoples are highly influential but barely touched by the gospel. Brahmins and Yadavas (known locally as Idayan or Konar) have little motivation for becoming Christian, a faith associated with foreigners and untouchables.
c) Tamil-speaking Muslims, as well as the large numbers of Shaikh and Sayyid Muslims, have very few Christians and even fewer Christian workers.
For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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