--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is lacking in India are decent…" description: "\"What is lacking in India are decent social services. The health service is a disaster. Education is a disaster.\" — Esther Duflo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/esther-duflo-36137_decent_what-is-lacking-in-india-are-decent-soci_1213120.png" --- # What is lacking in India are decent social services. The… ![“What is lacking in India are decent social services. The health service is a disaster. Education is a disaster.” quote by Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/esther-duflo-36137_decent_what-is-lacking-in-india-are-decent-soci_1213120.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/esther-duflo-36137_decent_what-is-lacking-in-india-are-decent-soci_1213120.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/esther-duflo-36137_decent_what-is-lacking-in-india-are-decent-soci_1213120.png) > “What is lacking in India are decent social services. The health service is a disaster. Education is a disaster.” [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. India’s public services are severely underfunded, leading to health and education crises. **In simple terms:** India lacks decent health and education services. Key Takeaway Advocate for stronger social infrastructure. Themes public policy development inequality Mood concerned urgent Type analytical call‑to‑action When to use this quote - urban planning - NGO work - policy reform Key Concepts healthcare failure education gaps government accountability Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could most improve health outcomes? - How can education be made equitable? A Different Perspective Improving services requires political will and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/india/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [People don't want charities to usurp the state as the core provider of social services.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-mulgan/people-don-t-want-charities-to-usurp-the-state-as-the-core-provider/) [Geoff Mulgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-mulgan/) > [African-Americans now 45 percent poverty in the inner cities. The education is a disaster. Jobs are essentially nonexistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/african-americans-now-45-percent-poverty-in-the-inner-cities-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The police should be addressing car break-ins and burglaries and things like that. And increasingly what they're doing is providing social services. The majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/the-police-should-be-addressing-car-break-ins-and-burglaries-and/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [I grew up on Section 8 housing, food stamps, welfare, and dealing with social services. I never had a Christmas. I never had a birthday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logic/i-grew-up-on-section-8-housing-food-stamps-welfare-and-dealing-with/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logic/) > [And were in the middle of a perfect storm. These days, government social services are being bad-mouthed and defunded. The non-profit world is looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/and-were-in-the-middle-of-a-perfect-storm-these-days-government/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [We don't necessarily hear about the fantastic things social services do, because it doesn't make very good drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lancashire/we-don-t-necessarily-hear-about-the-fantastic-things-social-services/) [Sarah Lancashire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lancashire/) > [Economic growth is very important, but it is not the only thing, and it must be accompanied by sharing with those who are left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/economic-growth-is-very-important-but-it-is-not-the-only-thing-and-it/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [How long will it be necessary to pay City men so entirely out of proportion to what other servants of society commonly receive for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/how-long-will-it-be-necessary-to-pay-city-men-so-entirely-out-of/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [The government should not be in the business of funneling money for social services through any faith-based organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/the-government-should-not-be-in-the-business-of-funneling-money-for/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [ In some instances even certain social services that normally were supplied, or pre-empted by the state. Take the United States, the \[Ronald\] Reagan administration… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/in-some-instances-even-certain-social-services-that-normally-were/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Alternative services would mean that there would be services available to compete with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Skype, etc., and they would be run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/alternative-services-would-mean-that-there-would-be-services/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) > [Older Americans are perfect telemarketing customers, analysts say, because they are often at home, rely on delivery services, and are lonely for the companionship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/older-americans-are-perfect-telemarketing-customers-analysts-say/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I think that all services will have downtime. No matter how much you prepare, have redundant systems, or audit, there will periodically be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/i-think-that-all-services-will-have-downtime-no-matter-how-much-you/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [With post offices and postal workers already on the ground, USPS could partner with banks to make a critical difference for millions of Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/with-post-offices-and-postal-workers-already-on-the-ground-usps-could/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I think that, in the end, the military behavior and intelligence services are not very different from each other. It's an attitude of hunters;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-ramirez/i-think-that-in-the-end-the-military-behavior-and-intelligence/) [Edgar Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-ramirez/) ## More by Esther Duflo > [Paternalism is everywhere in our lives. We have to immunise our children unless we are upset about it. In India, it is the opposite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/paternalism-is-everywhere-in-our-lives-we-have-to-immunise-our/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [And there is a lot of idiosyncrasy. But there are also regularities and phenomena. And what the data is going to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/and-there-is-a-lot-of-idiosyncrasy-but-there-are-also-regularities/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [In a way, it has been an advantage for me to be a woman because there is always some academic committee that needs you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/in-a-way-it-has-been-an-advantage-for-me-to-be-a-woman-because-there/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [The poor get bored the same as the rest of us. Their happiness might be as important to them as their health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/the-poor-get-bored-the-same-as-the-rest-of-us-their-happiness-might/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [Giving more to women will, to some extent, come at the expense of men. People sometimes try to sweep that under the rug by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/giving-more-to-women-will-to-some-extent-come-at-the-expense-of-men/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [For millions of girls around the world, motherhood comes too early. Those who bear children as adolescents suffer higher maternal mortality and morbidity rates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/for-millions-of-girls-around-the-world-motherhood-comes-too-early/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [The logic is that when you provide schools or any social service to people, they have no choice. They have to take what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/the-logic-is-that-when-you-provide-schools-or-any-social-service-to/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [Part of me always wanted to do something useful for the world. It came from my mother. 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If I did go I would probably read economics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/i-don-t-go-to-the-beach-there-is-no-value-in-going-to-the-beach-if-i/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) > [I've never had a TV in my whole life. Television passed by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-duflo/i-ve-never-had-a-tv-in-my-whole-life-television-passed-by-me/) [Esther Duflo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) [Explore all 13 Esther Duflo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-duflo/) ## More Decent quotes > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [As long as I can sing halfway decent, I'd rather sing than act. There's nothing like being in good voice, feeling good, having good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-keel/as-long-as-i-can-sing-halfway-decent-i-d-rather-sing-than-act-there-s/) [Howard Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-keel/) > [You weren't a decent man and you didn't do your best. We none of us were and none of us did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-weren-t-a-decent-man-and-you-didn-t-do-your-best-we-none-of-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Music and the arts feed our souls, but a decent wage puts food on the table. Musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/music-and-the-arts-feed-our-souls-but-a-decent-wage-puts-food-on-the/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/land-ethic/the-key-log-which-must-be-moved-to-release-the-evolutionary-process/) Land ethic > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kramer/it-is-something-that-most-parents-hope-for-in-life-that-their/) [Jerry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kramer/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [takes a devil to make a decent angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-spanbauer/takes-a-devil-to-make-a-decent-angel/) [Tom Spanbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-spanbauer/) > [I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-guess-the-only-thing-to-do-now-is-meet-his-parents-i-m-sure-they-re/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) Browse all 1,392 Decent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is lacking in India are decent social services. The health service is a disaster. 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