Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Jul 03: India, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
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
India has more human need than any other nation – largely by virtue of its massive population, but also due to many areas of suffering that must be addressed through considered action and sustained prayer.a) Poverty affects hundreds of millions, often as utter destitution that is far below any arbitrary income level mathematically calculated by international bodies. Recent economic liberalization and initiatives to assist the poorest communities will help India move further in the right direction to significantly reduce poverty.
i Poverty is predominantly rural, despite increasing urbanization. While the growing urban slums of large cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata are well publicized and contain around 75 million people, India remains predominantly a rural nation, and it is in the villages where most of the poor live.
ii Caste issues are closely tied to poverty. Most of India’s poorest are from the Dalit/Bahujan/Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, many of them surviving as landless farm labourers. Their landlessness and lack of guaranteed income often lead to debt slavery, which is passed down through generations. Pray for these peoples – may they see God’s justice and love demonstrated to them.
iii There is a complex relationship between poverty and overpopulation. Children are seen by many as future guarantors of assistance and income – the more, the better. India’s population issues and poverty issues need to be tackled in tandem.
b) Health concerns affect huge swathes of India’s population. Around 40% of children under age three suffer from malnutrition, since inadequate sanitation and lack of clean water multiply the waterborne diseases that impact mostly children and the poor. In India, an estimated 900,000 people per year die as a result of drinking unclean water or breathing polluted air. The health sector is overstretched, under-resourced and prone to corruption. India has the world’s third-largest HIV-positive population and accounts for one-third of the world’s tuberculosis cases. Excellent healthcare and medical training were two of Christianity’s finest contributions to India; these are under threat due to Christian emigration/brain drain. Pray that this important legacy might be preserved.
c) Women and children suffer disproportionately.
i Children in crisis – no country can rival India’s staggering need. Of India’s 400 million children under 15 years old, possibly up to 35 million are orphans. Eleven million are abandoned (90% girls); three million live on the street. There are 20 million child labourers (including many instances of bond slavery to pay family debts) – some estimates claim 50 million. Up to two-thirds of children suffer physical abuse, and one-half some kind of sexual harassment or abuse. Over 1.2 million children are involved in prostitution; many of them are Nepali or Bangladeshi.
ii Women and girls. Lower literacy and education rates, the dowry tradition, widespread domestic abuse and the evil tradition of temple prostitution all cry out for action. Society’s preference for boys, combined with the illegal application of ultrasound technology, leads to selective abortion of girls and to female infanticide. A female population deficit of 35 million – and growing – compared to the male population demonstrates the severity of the situation.
Pray that these desperate needs may be addressed through loving Christian ministries and state structures. Pray that attitudes and practices in society, especially toward those most vulnerable, might be changed to reflect God's care for women and children.
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.Uttarakhand
India
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Christians officially number fewer than 35,000 out of a population of 10 million, although this is almost certainly an underestimation.a) Churches are represented by a wide range of denominations, none of them very large. Methodists are the most numerous. A small but growing house church movement has made inroads in recent years. Pray for further church growth. Pray for sensitive, effective, well-supported evangelistic ministry that will draw many more to Jesus.
b) Theological education. Dehradun is a strong centre for Christian activity. Pray for these three theological institutions – Presbyterian Theological Seminary (PTS), Doon Bible College (DBC) and New Theological College (NTC). There are a number of smaller Bible schools, some working in English, some in Hindi. Pray for their vision of training Christian workers equipped to reach North India.
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 Uttarakhand.West Bengal
India
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
Kolkata, once India’s capital and leading city, has continued to decline since 1954 due to political instability, violent clashes because of a strong Marxist movement and economic stagnation from failure to modernize. Some growth has occurred since 2000, thanks largely to a burgeoning IT industry. The city faces huge challenges in terms of poverty, congestion and pollution; many of its population live in squalid slums. Kolkata is dedicated to and named after Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction.a) There are over 150,000 Christians in the city, but only a minority are Bengali-speaking. Pray for a multiplication of congregations alive in the Spirit.
b) Non-Bengali immigrants are 45% of the population. Bihari, Marwari and Oriya make up around half of these. There is little if any Christian presence or witness among them. Oriya has a Bible translation, Bhojpuri a NT, Marwari just a few portions – other Christian resources are scarce. Pray for workers and churches for each of the immigrant communities crowded into Kolkata.
c) Street dwellers, estimated at up to one million. At a conservative estimate, there are 100,000 street children; a number of missions work among them.
For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
