In the right direction

It is easy to be critical in India - so much, on so many levels, isnt right but today is a reason to be cheerful and encouraging.

Sometime back I reported on the 1411 tigers left in India - the news just out is that  the tiger population has increased to 1541-1875. This is one of them that we saw recently in Madhya Pradesh and what better advertisement than her to emphasize how important their care and preservation are to India.

Even better news is that for the first time since Independence there is a slowdown in the population growth. I81 million added this decade as opposed to 182 million for the last decade. Still huge and it is the cities that are exploding but some of the poorer states show a drop in population growth.

India is 17.5% of the world population !

The gap between the male and female literacy rates has become smaller and literacy rates in general are up to 74 % if the figures are to be believed. Better than 51% in 1991 but way to go before it is up there with other developing countries like South Africa at 88%, Sri Lanka at 91% and China at 93% .

So Sri Lanka has the edge in literacy - but does India have the edge for the WORLD CRICKET CUP ??

On Saturday in Mumbai billions of people will be watching.