India’s New Middle Classes – Friends of progress or a Political mall-rats?

India’s New Middle Classes – Friends of progress or a Political mall-rats?

A Conversational blog written and edited by Duncan Green

One of the topics that kept coming up during my recent trip with Oxfam India was the role of the rising middle classes. We had a great debate with Aseem Prakash from Jindal University, who is in the middle of a paper on this (I’ll link when it’s published). According to Aseem, different definitions yield numbers for India’s middle classes ranging from 5 million ($10-$20 per day) to 214 million ($2-$4 a day). What’s not disputed, however, is that the numbers are rising rapidly as India’s economy continues to boom.

Click here to read more

Click here to read a post on the same topic by Bipasha Majumder, Communications Officer, Mumbai

Click here to read Duncan's previous blog on ‘Bricifying’ international NGOs is hard work

I spent last week trying to understand an intriguing experiment. About five years ago, Oxfam GB’s ‘white men in shorts’ left India, along with all the other Oxfam affiliates, and a new, completely Indian-run Oxfam India took over. All part of ‘Bricification’ within the Oxfam family (there’s an Oxfam Brazil in the pipeline too).


Others

Find out how Oxfam India is enabling communities by working to provide a life of dignity and equal opportunity for all.Get to know more about Oxfam India`s latest projects.

Read More

Related Stories

Women Livelihood

01 Aug, 2022

Koraput, Odisha

Baide Kirsani's Exemplary Journey

Baide Kirsani is a 30-year-old woman who lives in Lunguri village (in Odisha) with her husband Pratap Jani and their three daughters. They own land that is a little more than one acre.

Read More

Private Sector Engagement

28 Jul, 2022

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh

Securing Social Security Schemes For Anita

Anita, a dalit farmer, lives in Kheri Tappa Lawar village (Daurala block, Meerut) with her two sons Saurabh and Neeraj. Neeraj is in class 11th and Saurabh has just passed 12th.

Read More

Education

27 Jul, 2022

Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh

Reviving Bal Sansad

Having ensured that children from our Mohalla Classes are back in schools, we have started work on strengthening the schools as is laid out in the Right To Eduction Act of 2009.

Read More

Women Livelihood

27 Jul, 2022

Nalanda, Bihar

Shakuntala Devi Expands Her Business

At one of the crossroads of Lodipur village in Bihar’s Nalanda district, is a shop run by a 47-year-old Shakuntala Devi.

Read More