Rural Consumption Boosts Indian Economy

 　　New Delhi -- As growing wealth fuels spending in thousands of villages across India, rural communities are emerging as new commercial frontiers, raising hopes that the nation's vast countryside will become an engine of future economic growth.

　　For Arun Sharma, a school teacher in Rohua village in Bihar state, which lags behind other Indian states in terms of development, the recent transformation¹ has been remarkable². When he was a young boy, he says, most people lived in small huts; there were no vehicles or roads in his village -- not even a motorcycle.

　　"[Today] there is a motorbike in front of every door," he says, explaining that many villagers, like him, also have amenities³ such as televisions, water tanks and mobile phones.

　　"Many people even have tractors," he says, all because of growing farm incomes and access to credit on easy terms.

　　Stable despite national slowdown

　　Although India’s national economy is faltering⁴, the country’s vast rural areas show no evidence of slowing down. In the last two years, rising prices of agricultural produce have put more money in the hands of many farmers, and even farm laborers⁵ are earning higher wages.

　　New Delhi officials have cancelled many loans taken by farmers, and a wave of government subsidies⁶ for energy, fertilizers and food -- all targeted at boosting rural incomes -- has brought more prosperity to the hinterland.

　　As a result, India’s 660,000 villages, home to two thirds of the country’s 1.2 billion inhabitants, are emerging on the radar⁷ of companies selling everything from cars and jeans to soaps and shampoos.

　　Shankar Prasad, a dealer⁸ for consumer goods in Muzaffarpur district, where Rohua village is located, meets with his sales team to stress the need to target rural customers and tap the growing potential.

　　“We are selling tractors, motorcycles, then TVs, fridges, washing machines, all these things, and we find that the income of the villagers has tremendously increased," he says. "In [the] case of motorcycles, we find that 50 percent of our buyers are from villages.”

　　Nothing illustrates⁹ the rural transformation more dramatically than 2010-2012 sales figures at India’s largest car company, Maruti. Until 2009, a mere¹⁰ three percent of the company’s cars were sold in rural areas, and now every fourth car is bought by a villager.

　　According to Mayank Pareek, Maruti's national head of sales in New Delhi, from east to west dirt tracks have been replaced by roads, bringing villages closer to bigger towns.

　　“About five years back, 50 percent [of villages] were not even connected by roads," he says. "Of late, because of lot of investment going on in the rural infrastructure¹¹, these places are getting joined with the mainstream¹² economy, and when they are connected to main economy they need to travel and that leads to a boost in demand."

　　"What we have done so far is just tip of iceberg," he adds. "In fact, you would be surprised that three percent of our cars go to villages with less than 100 households.”

　　Poverty persists

　　Despite the consumption boom, rural areas still remain underdeveloped. Many lack basic infrastructure such as schools and health care, or amenities such as sanitation¹³ and clean water.

　　And many people remain poor.

　　But change is happening, making some Indian leaders confident that villagers hold the key to the country’s future.

　　India Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has faced many questions about India’s sputtering¹⁴ growth, recently told parliament that he wants to focus on farm-sector development so that India’s rural areas emerge as engines of growth.

　　“When I talk of the domestic-demand-driven growth strategy, I have agriculture in my mind," he says. "Our growth should come from the domestic demands and generate the domestic demands, and for that we are stepping up substantial amounts of money in the rural infrastructure, in the rural sectors¹⁵ [and] in the social sectors.”

　　That is music to the ears of people like Avdesh Chowdhury, whose grocery store in Tarora village in Muzaffarpur district is often crowded with customers. About ten years ago, he says, his village did not have a shop.

　　"Television has brought about a huge change and now people want to buy everything they see on TV," he says.

　　However, economists¹⁶ warn that the wave of subsidies generating rural prosperity may also deepen India’s economic woes¹⁷ in coming years as its fiscal¹⁸ deficit¹⁹ increases.

　　But others say the vast rural market could energize²⁰ an economy whose growth potential is beginning to be questioned.

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

5 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

6 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

8 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

9 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

10 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

13 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

14 sputtering   

n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出

参考例句：

• A wick was sputtering feebly in a dish of oil. 瓦油灯上结了一个大灯花，使微弱的灯光变得更加阴暗。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• Jack ran up to the referee, sputtering protest. 贾克跑到裁判跟前，唾沫飞溅地提出抗议。 来自辞典例句

15 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

18 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

19 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

20 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！