The Shocking State of Civic Sense in India: Why Many Are Losing Faith
Frustration boils over as everyday encounters with littering, reckless driving, and inefficient public systems erode faith in the nation’s progress. Personal anecdotes reveal how a simple slip on a discarded banana peel can lead to injury, while friends mock efforts to keep streets clean. In hostels, queues dissolve into chaos, and even premier hospitals like AIIMS Delhi become mazes of bureaucracy. These issues aren’t isolated—they reflect deeper societal rifts that push many to dream of escape.
- The Littering Epidemic
- Disregard for Traffic Rules
- Chaos in Public Services
- The Culture of Queue Jumping
- Brain Drain: Why Youth Are Fleeing
- Efforts and Impacts of Swachh Bharat
- Paths to Improvement
Civic Sense in India: The Littering Epidemic
Littering plagues India’s urban landscapes, turning roadsides into dumping grounds. Daily, the country generates 1.5 lakh tonnes of municipal waste, much of it ending up on streets due to poor civic habits. A mother slipping on banana peels isn’t just bad luck—it’s a symptom of widespread disregard, where even educated individuals from rural backgrounds toss wrappers without a second thought. This behavior stems from a mix of inadequate education and a “someone else will clean it” mentality. Vandalism and noise pollution compound the issue, making public spaces unlivable.
Experts point to casteism as a root cause, where some view cleaning as beneath them. The economic toll? Billions lost in deterred investments and damaged infrastructure. Yet, analogies to a shared home fall flat when personal responsibility evaporates in public.
Civic Sense in India: Disregard for Traffic Rules
Roads in India are battlegrounds of unpredictability. Drivers skip turn indicators, leading to chaotic turns that force pedestrians to guess intentions. Corruption in licensing exacerbates this—59% obtain licenses without tests, often via bribes. In 2021, road deaths hit 218,406, with pedestrians accounting for 19% of victims.
A bar chart of road safety trends would show rising fatalities despite awareness campaigns, but data underscores how bribery distorts safety. Friends from Bihar laughing at cleanup efforts mirror a broader rural-urban divide in rule adherence.
Civic Sense in India: Chaos in Public Services
At AIIMS Delhi, hailed as the nation’s best, patients navigate a labyrinth of counters and repeated visits for simple X-rays. Staff shortages and touts demanding bribes for beds highlight systemic failures. Even visitors litter coffee cans in rooms, ignoring nearby dustbins. Complaints surge, with a new portal launched in 2024 for real-time redressal. But infrastructure gaps persist, as noted in court reports on Delhi hospitals. It’s like herding cats in a storm, inefficient and frustrating.
Civic Sense in India: The Culture of Queue Jumping
Queues in India evaporate as people shove ahead, driven by scarcity mindsets from decades of shortages. In hostels or banks, this “survival instinct” breeds resentment. Reasons include poverty, low literacy, and entitlement, often tied to caste.
Impacts? Increased stress and inequality, where the polite wait longer. Compared to Britain’s orderly lines, India’s chaos hampers efficiency.
Civic Sense in India: Brain Drain: Why Youth Are Fleeing
Youth disillusionment fuels migration, with lack of jobs, poor pay, and civic woes topping reasons. Over 162 million still lack toilets, amplifying frustration. Many see abroad as escape from pollution and corruption.
Statistics show brain drain isn’t loss but potential gain via remittances, yet India pushes talent away. Like birds fleeing a storm, skilled Indians seek clearer skies.
Efforts and Impacts of Swachh Bharat
The Swachh Bharat Mission has built over 1.2 crore toilets since 2014, slashing open defecation and saving 60,000-70,000 infant lives yearly. Budget 2025 allocates ₹12,192 crore.
| Year | Toilets Built (Approx.) |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2019 | 90,000,000 |
| 2025 | 120,000,000 |
Yet, challenges remain, with 12.5% households toilet-less. Success stories in Indore contrast persistent gaps.
Paths to Improvement
Reviving civic sense demands education from schools, strict enforcement like social credit systems, and community leadership. Bounties for reporting violations could crowdsource discipline. Analogies to Japan’s civic training show promise.
“India needs civic sense more than statues and stadiums.” – Nikulsinh Rathod
As frustrations mount, small acts—like picking up litter—can spark change.
India’s civic woes, from littered streets to bureaucratic tangles, breed widespread disillusionment. While campaigns like Swachh Bharat offer hope, deeper cultural shifts are essential.
Can India reclaim its civic pride before more talent flees?
Voices from the Internet
| Comment | Source |
|---|---|
| “This country is an absolute shit show- people lack basic civic sense, the day you start earning the govt directly gets hungry for their big share which they truly deserve for suffocating you in pollution all year long…” | X (Pranav Mehta) |
| “I have absolutely no love for my homeland. I hail from India, which might surprise a lot of folks considering just how patriotic Indians can be.” | Reddit (offmychest) |
| “Indians litter public places at record levels: 1.5 lakh tonnes of municipal waste daily.” | LinkedIn (Cameena Algoel) |
| “The lack of suitable employment opportunities has led to a surge in brain drain, with many young professionals seeking opportunities abroad.” | Reflections.live (Medium-like) |
| “Friends, In recent times, there’s been a sharp rise in hate crimes against Indians in Ireland.” | Facebook (Indians in Ireland) |
| “As an Indian I don’t care.” | YouTube Comment (Why the Internet Hates Indians) |
| “While the thought of reuniting with family is comforting, the reality of adapting back to India often triggers reverse culture shock.” | |
| “India’s brain drain is not unique to the country. It is a perennial issue in emerging or developing markets…” | CNBC (via Substack-like) |
| “I love India, I have lived here my whole life and I am immensely sad to be writing this.” | X (Ankur Tyagi) |
| “Some Indians may have faced racism, xenophobia, or stereotyping based on their Indian identity…” | Medium (Bipin Gaur) |
| “The film raises thorny issues. In exposing India’s continuing horrific and endemic caste discrimination…” | Substack (Suraj Yengde) |
| “I’m leaving this country ASAP. I refuse to live here anymore.” | Reddit (india) |
| “Most Indians are proud, self-confident, honest and resilient…” | Medium (Subhash Kak) |
| “I am seeing alot of hate from Indians on all social media such as reddit, facebook, instagram.” | Facebook (Pakistanis) |
| “You might hate reading this but, as a Residence of Tamilnadu for 4 years and Delhi NCR for last 3 years, I can confidently say that there’s no much hope left in India.” | X (Tekraj Awasthi) |