Indian Economy Moving Towards Organized Sector

What percent of the Indian economy is in the "unorganized sector?" Numbers ranging from 60% to 97% are talked about.

With big corporations gradually moving into this space (e.g. Reliance getting into retailing), a significant part of this economy is going to be turned on its head. Do we understand the social implications?

- Many small businesses will be driven out. Their employees may find employment at large corporations, doing the same things, but under better working conditions. However, a significant majority of these business have no regular real employees - it is all family-run. What happens to these families?

- Cost structures of many of these are very low - almost insignificant profit margins. While large buying entities may reduce cost of acquisition, there will be additional corporate costs.

- Corporations will be able to flex their muscles to extract very low prices from suppliers. And they will dis-intermediate the middle man.

The quality of life of buyers, on the other hand, will improve substantially.

- Easier access to many things under the same roof. What you had to go to 5 stores to buy, and took and entire morning, can now be bought at a single store in half an hour.

- Their employees will have better working conditions.

Social implications are huge though.

Religion and Society

When a family friend - Mr. Jain's son joined the army, we were confused. Aren't Jains supposed to be non-violent. What then, is a Jain going to do in an army. At School, not just Jains, but also very strict vegetarian Hindus had no qualms about dissecting a frog. And, I have seen Doctors making offerings at temples for curing sick family members. All these appear incongruous. Are they really?

Why this disconnect between personal/religious life, and social/professional life? Is it because most Hindus ( and Jains, Buddhists, and maybe others) tend to separate religion from society? Religion is something to be practiced in private, and what Hindus do in public has much less to do with their religion, than followers of other faiths.

Hinduism allows this kind of thinking, by putting many fewer restrictions. For example, unlike Catholicism, Hinduism says nothing explicitly about abortion. And, unlike Islam, Hindism does not require Haj.

Maybe, it is this thinking that has allowed Hindus to be so tolerant and welcoming of other faiths. After all, Hindus don't care what people of other faiths do in their homes.