Solution

A majority of people live in rural areas. The state of rural infrastructure in India is as follows:

1. Rural women are still using bio-fuels such as crop residues, dung and fuel wood to meet their energy requirement.
2. They walk long distances to fetch fuel, water and other basic needs.
3. The census 2001 shows that in rural India only 56 per cent households have an electricity connection and 43 per cent still use kerosene. About 90 per cent of the rural households use bio-fuels for cooking.
4. Tap water availability is limited to only 24 per cent of rural households. About 76 per cent of the population drinks water from open sources such as wells, tanks, ponds, lakes, rivers, canals, etc.
5. Another study conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation noted that by 1996, access to improved sanitation in rural areas was only 6 per cent.