Indian Society
Globalisation and Indian Society
GS Paper I
Globalisation and Indian Society — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision on the effects of globalisation on Indian society: key dates, concepts and thinkers, group-wise effects and the gig economy.
SyllabusGS I · Effects of globalisation on Indian society
A last-week sheet on globalisation and society. For Mains, always go group by group and end with a balanced view.
Key Dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Balance-of-payments crisis; New Industrial Policy (24 July); LPG reforms |
| 1995 | WTO established; India a founding member |
| 2014 | UN General Assembly adopts International Day of Yoga (21 June); first observed 2015 |
| 2020 | Code on Social Security defines gig and platform workers |
| 2022 | NITI Aayog report on the gig and platform economy |
| 2023 | Rajasthan’s Platform Based Gig Workers Act |
| 2025 | Union Budget 2025-26: e-Shram registration and PM-JAY cover for gig workers |
Concepts and Thinkers
| Concept | Thinker | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Globalisation as intensified worldwide social relations | Anthony Giddens | Distant events shape local life |
| Global village | Marshall McLuhan | Electronic media shrink the world |
| Glocalisation | Roland Robertson | Global forms adapted to local cultures |
| McDonaldisation | George Ritzer | Efficiency, predictability and control spreading across society |
Group-wise Effects
| Group | Gains | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Women | Service and IT jobs; financial independence | Low-paid export work; double burden |
| Youth | New careers, digital entrepreneurship | Jobless growth, consumerism, stress |
| Elderly | Remittances, medical advances | Isolation as the young migrate |
| Workers | New sectors | Informalisation, gig precarity |
| Farmers | Export markets | Price volatility, input costs |
| Tribals | Market access | Displacement, cultural erosion |
High-yield facts
- NITI Aayog (2022): about 77 lakh gig workers in 2020-21; about 2.35 crore projected for 2029-30.
- Code on Social Security, 2020 is the first central law to define gig and platform workers.
- India is the world’s largest recipient of remittances (World Bank).
- Right to livelihood: Article 21, Olga Tellis (1985).
Traps
- Globalisation is not the same as Westernisation — culture flows both ways.
- 1991 is a turning point, not the beginning, of India’s global links.
- Gig workers have some statutory recognition; the debate is about its adequacy.
Related Topics
- Effects of Globalisation on Indian Society
- Globalisation — practice questions
- Inclusive Growth and Employment
- All quick revision sheets
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