Dr.DEBESH BHOWMIK

Dr.DEBESH BHOWMIK

Sunday 18 September 2011

INDIA'S SERVICE SECTOR

India's share of service sector in GDP has been increasing an unprecedented rate since 80s and 90s onwards.In 1990-91,India's share of service sector was 42.7% which stepped up to 57.3% in 2008-09.On the other hand, the share of agricultural sector was 31.4% which decreased to 17.0% and the share of industrial sector was 25.9% which shifted to 25.8% during the same period.The sectoral change is asymmetric and unbalanced in context of Indian economy because 70% of India's population still depend on agriculture.A few decades ago, agricultural surplus produces industrial new projects which enables industrial growth.India's industrial growth is severely uneven and not sustainable to India's development.It ranges from 5-6% only.The agricultural growth stands only 3% on an average.On the contrary,the service sector growth appears to be 7-8% during recent decades. 10-12% of the population depend on industry and 15-20% population depend on service sector.Moreover,international trade from service sector is discouraging because trade balance of the sector is negative.But,the expansion of service sector in home economy is encouraging.The low growth of industrial sector could not earn much from trade except from electricals ,chemicals,IT,engineering,hides and skins, garments, textiles etc. And the agricultural sector's export earnings from food and horticulture and fisheries are likely to be mentioned but not rosy prospect.I wish to mention that the potentiality of Indian agriculture has been suffering from sickness due to lack of declining investment,no perspective plan,treating it a non-priority sector and non productive asset because other developing and industrial countries target industry or service sectors as the leading sectors for generating higher growth.But,India's scenario is rather different.It is fundamentally an agricultural country.If the Indian planners could not treat it a sector as prime importance and could not think the people dependent on this sector,then sustainable development path will surely distort its stability and growth .The growth and employment pattern will hamper ,the fundamental macro economic relations between variables like growth and inflation , employment and inflation, income distributional pattern of the economy.Ultimate,poverty and hunger could not be solved.Inequality will be widened.Trade deficit will increase and so to debt burden.The vicious circle of problems will be clouded over in the Indian economy.Is India progressing towards service-led economy?

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