The Indian subcontinent is home to nearly two billion people and covers a vast area. It has rich natural resources, diverse cultures, and a long history. However, poverty, inequality, corruption, and violence are also home to violence. 

What if all the countries of the subcontinent were one nation? Would things be different? This article explores what would happen if we merged India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal into one country. Let’s take a look at what this new country might look like.

One Nation, One Government

The first step towards a united India would be to merge all the countries on the subcontinent into one nation. A central government would oversee the governance of the new nation with a democratic and parliamentarian system of government. It would be similar to how the European Union is governed. 

The government would create and enforce laws, maintain and expand the country’s infrastructure, distribute social welfare, and set foreign and trade policies.

Improved Infrastructure & Standard of Living

The Indian subcontinent has some of the best infrastructures in the world. Indian Railways, for instance, is the most extensive railway system in the world, covering a distance of over 65,000 kilometres. The Indian subcontinent also has the largest road network in the world. The Asian Highway Network is a series of highways that run through the subcontinent and connect the economies of Southeast Asia with Europe. When all the countries on the subcontinent are merged into one nation, connecting the networks of roads and railways will be easier.

It will improve living standards by connecting more people, goods, and services. There will be more focus on investing in public infrastructure. Investing in economically profitable projects will be easier and contribute to the nation’s growth. There will be less corruption and mismanagement, which are common problems in developing countries.

Equality for Women

The Indian subcontinent has the second-highest rate of gender inequality in the world. Women are underrepresented in government positions and are less likely to receive an education than men. They face high rates of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and child marriage. Many cultures in the subcontinent also have strict and discriminatory rules regarding women. 

For example, in India and Bangladesh, women are not allowed to enter temples because of religious restrictions. There’s a long history of women fighting for their rights in the subcontinent. Many have been persecuted for challenging the status quo. Leaders of the new nation will have to be careful to protect and promote women’s rights.

They can start by enforcing strict laws against gender discrimination, child marriage, and domestic violence. They will also have to work to change people’s attitudes towards women.

A New Paradigm for Education and Research

The Indian subcontinent is home to some of the oldest cultures in the world – it was an important centre of trade, religion, creativity, and knowledge for centuries. The subcontinent is home to various languages, cultures, and traditions, and it also has rich mineral resources, a beautiful landscape, and unique biodiversity. 

There are plenty of opportunities for the new nation to be a significant player on the global stage. We can achieve it by focusing on education and research. The government should encourage people to be proud of their cultural heritage. It should also invest in research and development in the private and public sectors.

The new nation should promote education and research in the sciences and humanities. It should also invest in programs to foster creativity and innovation.

No More Refugees and Better Protection for Children

The Indian subcontinent is home to millions of refugees. They usually flee their countries’ political strife, war, and natural disasters. Most refugees travel to urban areas, where they hope to find work and shelter. However, they often end up living in slums with limited access to education and employment.

It hurts the economy and social fabric of the subcontinent. It also creates tension between the host country and the refugees; hostile attitudes towards refugees have led to violent clashes in the past. The government of the new nation can take steps to reduce the number of refugees. It can do this by investing in improving infrastructure and services in rural areas. It will create more employment opportunities and reduce the pressure on urban areas.

No Poverty

Poverty is endemic in the Indian subcontinent. It’s estimated that about a fifth of the population lives below the poverty line. The situation is even direr in certain parts of the region. In Bangladesh and Nepal, for example, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line. 

The government can reduce the number of people living in poverty by investing in social programs. It can also help the poor by creating more job opportunities to increase the incomes of the working class.

 The government can also invest in public infrastructure to improve access to utilities, transportation, and education. It will help the poor improve their lives by reducing the cost of living.

Transparency in Government

Corruption is a significant problem in the Indian subcontinent. The countries on the subcontinent score very low on the honesty and transparency of government index. The best way to fight corruption is to have solid and enforceable laws against it. The new nation can start by enacting a new law against corruption. 

The government should also make it easy for citizens to report corruption by providing them with adequate communication channels. It should also have substantial penalties for people found guilty of corruption. These measures will create an environment where it’s easy to report corruption and hard to get away with it.

Freedom of Speech and Expression

The Indian subcontinent contains diverse cultures, religions, and languages. It has led to a lot of tension between different groups. It often breaks out into violence. The people of the subcontinent have a long history of fighting for their right to freedom of speech and expression. Sadly, these struggles often turn violent.

The government of the new nation can take steps to stop violent clashes by enacting laws against hate speech. It can also promote cultural exchange by investing in programs that bring people together to speak freely about their differences. 

The government can partner with the media and civil society organizations to create a safe space for exchanging ideas. It can provide resources and a safe environment for critical and constructive criticism.

Environmentally-friendly Infrastructure

The Indian subcontinent has a limited supply of natural resources. It also has a very dense and growing population. It has led to tension between people and their natural environment, especially in cities. Urban centres are experiencing rapid growth with little safety and environmental regulations.

The government can create an environmentally-friendly infrastructure by regulating the growth of cities. It has caused severe pollution in cities like New Delhi and Kathmandu. It has also caused the wastage of resources, like fresh water. 

It can do this by investing in infrastructure, like sewage systems and water treatment plants. The government can also create awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. It can do this by investing in environmental research, education, and communication programs.

Protection of Natural Resources and Cultural Heritage

The Indian subcontinent is home to a rich cultural heritage. It includes the ruins of ancient cities, religious monuments, and archaeological sites. Unfortunately, the subcontinent has also seen a lot of violent conflicts. It has led to the destruction of many cultural treasures. 

The government can create a mechanism to protect natural resources and cultural heritage sites. It can do this by investing in research and development programs and creating laws protecting these sites. 

The government can also create programs to promote tourism. It will create jobs, bring in much-needed revenue, and help preserve the subcontinent’s natural resources and cultural heritage.

A Bigger, Richer, and More Powerful Nation

The Indian subcontinent is a highly diverse region with a population of 1.7 billion. The Indian subcontinent is the most linguistically diverse region on the planet. However, the subcontinent is also home to extreme poverty and many other dysfunctions. 

A single, strong country could eradicate many of these problems. A more prominent and prosperous nation would be able to better fund infrastructure, healthcare, and education. A more robust and larger economy would also allow it to import and export more goods. 

The subcontinent also has plenty of natural resources. It has the world’s largest coal reserves and 10% of global uranium reserves. It also has plenty of minerals like copper, iron ore, and molybdenum. It would boost the economies of all the countries in the subcontinent and make them more attractive to investors. 

A larger and more prosperous country would be in a better position to exploit these natural resources and create more sustainable industries. It wouldn’t have to rely so heavily on agriculture and textiles. It would better position a more prominent and prosperous country to address its many environmental issues.

A Unified Currency – The SAINRAN (South Asian Indian Rupee)

The biggest challenge in uniting the subcontinent is undoubtedly the different financial systems. India uses the rupee, Pakistan uses the rupee, Sri Lanka uses the rupee, and Nepal uses the rupee. Creating a new currency for the subcontinent would be complex and time-consuming. It could take decades. 

The Indian rupee is one of the world’s most traded currencies and has a global reputation. A unified currency would have to retain the rupee’s reputation and be easy to trade. A solution would be to use the rupee as the basis for a new subcontinent currency; it would be almost like creating a new currency based on the rupee. It’s possible to create a currency union where all the countries use the same currency.

There have been a few examples of this in history. For example, the Scandinavian currencies were all based on the Danish krone. Similarly, Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino currencies are based on the French franc. A unified subcontinent currency would work similarly. It would be the rupee but with a few minor changes. It would make trade across the subcontinent easier because the currencies would be more similar.

A Reduction in Corruption and Violence

The Indian subcontinent is infamous for its corruption. Many of its politicians are accused of taking bribes and being on the take. The Indian subcontinent is also home to many violent religious and political groups. Unfortunately, two of the world’s largest religions – Hinduism and Islam – are frequent sources of violence. 

However, a unified country would be better able to police the situation and reduce corruption and violence. A single government would be in a better position to monitor politicians and enforce laws. It could limit the activities of violent religious groups and terrorists more effectively. A unified country would also have better resources to help people in need. It would be in a better position to fund public health initiatives and respond to natural disasters.

One Adequate Food Supplier

The Indian subcontinent is an agricultural powerhouse. It produces the most rice, bananas, mangoes, and avocados worldwide. It also produces plenty of other fruits, vegetables, and grains. However, it doesn’t have a single country that’s self-sufficient in terms of food. It means that a single bad harvest could significantly impact the subcontinent. 

If this area were a single unified country, it would have a single agricultural sector. It would make it easier to create long-term plans for food security. It would also be easier to import and export food across the subcontinent. It would make the subcontinent resilient to bad harvests and other natural disasters.

Higher Standard of Living and Improved Infrastructure

A unified country would be better able to fund large-scale infrastructure projects. Funding things like clean energy, water treatment, and better public transport would be better. A unified country would also be in a better position to fund new public universities and research and development initiatives.

It would also be easier to fund better public health initiatives. These initiatives would be better funded and more widely accessible. It would better position a unified country to fund and implement long-term plans to reduce carbon emissions. It would help improve the subcontinent’s reputation as a source of carbon emissions.

Prosecution of Corrupt Politicians and Businessmen

The Indian subcontinent is plagued by corruption and nepotism. There are many examples of politicians and other high-ranking officials breaking the law with impunity. A unified country would be in a better position to prosecute corrupt politicians and businesspeople. It would be easier to trace their activities across multiple countries. 

It would also be easier to enforce laws in a single country. A unified country would be better positioned to monitor the activities of large corporations and hold them accountable for their actions. It would make it easier to break up monopolies and ensure a fair playing field for all companies. 

It would help increase competition and drive down prices. It would make it harder for criminals to hide their ill-gotten gains. It would also be easier for a unified country to crack down on money laundering and other illegal financial activities.

A More Secure World

The Indian subcontinent is a significant source of conflict and hostility – there are many long-standing disputes between India and other countries. It has often resulted in violence and war. India is also the world’s largest democracy. It has a long history of respecting human rights and freedom of speech. In many ways, it’s a shining example of a prosperous, democratic country.

However, there are also worrying signs of growing intolerance towards minorities. A unified country would be in a better position to protect minorities. It would be easier to fund initiatives to promote tolerance and protect freedom of speech. It would make the subcontinent a more secure place. It would also be easier to deal with threats like terrorism and cyber-crime across the subcontinent.

A Richer Culture

The Indian subcontinent is home to rich and diverse cultures. It has many different languages, religions, and customs. Unfortunately, these cultures are often in conflict with each other. A unified country would be better able to promote peace and understanding between cultures. There’s an unfortunate trend of people being unnecessarily defensive of their culture and religion. 

Funding initiatives to promote understanding between religions and cultures would be more accessible. A unified country would also be better able to fund initiatives to protect and preserve cultural heritage sites. Funding initiatives to digitize and preserve cultural artefacts and records would be easier.

A More Efficient Economy

The economies of India and Pakistan are both vast and diverse. The two countries have different monetary policies, tax rates, and even ways of counting GDP. However, they’re also inefficient.

A unified country would make dealing with economic threats like inflation, recession, and deflation easier. It would also be easier to deal with threats to the banking system. It would also be easier to manage public debt in a unified country.

A More Powerful Military

The Indian Armed Forces are among the most powerful in the world, but they’re spread across a vast land. They’re currently forced to play “whack-a-mole” with terrorists and insurgents across the subcontinent. 

A unified country would be better able to deal with external threats like terrorism and cyber-crime and internal ones like insurgency and secessionism. It would also be easier for India to defend its borders from foreign powers like China or Pakistan if it had fewer borders.

A More Powerful Diplomacy

The diplomatic corps in India and Pakistan are stretched too thin, trying to cultivate international relations without having enough diplomats for each country individually, let alone a unified one. A unified country could make a more powerful impact diplomatically on the world stage with fewer diplomats than both countries currently have to work together or separately on their respective diplomatic corps combined.

Conclusion

The Indian subcontinent is a diverse region. It’s home to many different countries, languages, and cultures. The current political situation in the subcontinent isn’t ideal. While there are some benefits to the current arrangement, it also has some significant disadvantages. It would be better for India and the other countries to unify into one country.

It would make it easier to protect minorities, improve trade and promote economic growth. It would also make dealing with significant threats like terrorism and cyber-crime easier.

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Last Updated on November 20, 2023 by ayeshayusuf