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| Developed India: How Will We Reach the Goal? | | | When we talk about the future of a country, it is easy to set a big goal. But it is much harder to understand how prepared the country is to achieve that goal and whether the path it is following will actually take it there. India has set a goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. In other words, by the time the country completes 100 years of independence, India should reach a stage where its economy is large and strong, people's lives are better, and the country has a decisive place among the world's leading economies.
As a teacher of economics, I feel that the goal of a developed India is as serious as it sounds attractive. After all, becoming a developed nation does not simply mean that the size of the GDP increases or that India enters the world's five largest economies. The bigger question is: if such economic expansion takes place, how much will it actually improve the lives of ordinary citizens? This is why the idea of a developed India needs to be looked at separately from political slogans or a list of government achievements.
Over the past ten to twelve years, several meaningful changes have taken place in the country. The expansion of digital technology is the most visible example. There was a time when having a bank account, an identity document or access to government services itself was a major challenge. Today, digital payments and digital public infrastructure have changed the everyday lives of millions of people. We have also seen faster development of roads, railways, ports and airports. Efforts have been made to increase domestic capacity in defence production. New options are being explored in the energy sector.
But perhaps the most important change is the thinking that India should not be seen only as a large market, but also developed as a major centre of production. This is not a small change. For a long time after independence, India's economic debate focused first on the problems of agriculture and later on the success of the services sector. The manufacturing sector could not develop with the strength that was expected.
China's economic success shows us that for a country with a huge population, it is difficult to turn itself into a high-income society without creating large-scale employment and industrial capacity. Therefore, investment in areas such as semiconductors, electronics, defence equipment, nuclear energy and other basic industrial capabilities should not be seen simply as the setting up of a few new factories.
What is needed is a much bigger economic change. India must develop the capacity to produce the things it needs, become part of global production chains and build an industrial system that can create opportunities for millions of people in the coming decades. This is essential for achieving the goal of a developed India.
When we talk about a developed India, we also need to give proper importance to energy. Clearly, industrialisation will require more energy. Growing cities will need more electricity. As the transport system changes, for example with more railways running on electricity, the demand for energy will increase. Therefore, we will have to think about nuclear energy, solar energy and other sources together. Increasing the capacity to produce basic metals such as aluminium and steel, as well as other industrial raw materials, is equally important.
There is no doubt that a lot of work needs to be done to make India a developed country. India's per capita income is still quite low. The gap becomes clear when we compare India with China and other developed Asian economies. This difference in per capita income is at the root of many problems.
It is right that we should work together towards the goal of making India developed by 2047. But at the same time, we must also think about how the benefits of economic growth can reach those parts of society that are still not benefiting from it fully.
There is no doubt that poverty has declined, people's purchasing power has increased and the consumer market has expanded. These are real changes. But there are other areas such as education, healthcare, employment and sanitation where a lot still needs to be done.
If a family's income increases but its child does not get a good education, or if a person has a mobile phone and internet access but has to sell land to pay for treatment of a serious illness, can we really call that a developed society? Therefore, the question of a developed India is not only an economic question. It is also a question about the quality of social life.
In our country, when we talk about unemployment, the question of jobs is one of the most difficult issues. India has one of the world's largest young populations. If we want to turn this young population into a source of strength, we need education, skills and jobs that allow people to improve their lives.
If industries grow but employment does not grow enough, the picture of development remains incomplete. When it comes to promoting infrastructure, serious work is needed. It is important to know how many large factories have been established in the country. But it is even more important to know how many small industries have come up around them, how many people have received permanent jobs, how many towns have become new centres of economic activity and how many rural families have benefited.
The 'seven streams' that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about from the Red Fort should be seen in this larger context. Limiting them to a speech or a list of government achievements would make the idea much smaller than it actually is.
A developed India is essentially a long national journey in which the government, industry, farmers, workers, scientists, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens all have a role to play. The goal of 2047 is not the goal of any one government or any one five-year term.
Over the next twenty years, governments will change, economic conditions will change, and the political and trade map of the world will also change. Therefore, the idea of a developed India must rise above party politics and be treated as a long-term national project.
India's past provides examples of what is possible. There was a time when the country depended on other nations for food and faced a shortage of milk. The Green Revolution, the White Revolution and the space programme show that even with limited resources, a country can change its position through sustained efforts and strong institutions.
But today's challenge is much bigger. We do not only have to come out of scarcity; we have to move towards a high-income and more just society.
For this, the economy will have to grow rapidly for a long period. Exports will have to increase, domestic industries will have to become more competitive, investment will have to speed up, and at the same time the income and purchasing power of ordinary citizens will also have to rise.
The government alone cannot do this. The government can make policies, build infrastructure and create an environment that encourages investment. Industry will have to invest, entrepreneurs will have to take risks, scientists will have to develop new technologies and universities will have to prepare better human resources.
The responsibility for a developed India belongs to society as much as it belongs to the government.
We should be proud of our achievements, but we should not become self-satisfied because of them. It would be wrong to underestimate what has been achieved, but it would also be wrong to hide what has not been achieved. Big goals cannot be achieved through enthusiasm alone. They require honesty about the numbers, continuity in policies and the ability to accept mistakes and correct them.
We must decide what kind of developed India we want to see in 2047. The year 2047 may seem far away, but for a nation, twenty years is not a very long time.
The school built today, the industry established today, the technology developed today and the child studying in school today will together shape the India of 2047.
Therefore, India needs fast development that is sustainable, creates jobs and reduces regional inequalities. We need modern industries, but we also need a strong agricultural sector. We need new technology, but we also need an education system that prepares citizens who can understand and create that technology.
We need a large economy, but we also need an economy in which the income and security of ordinary people increase.
The real test of a developed India will not be how much its economic power has increased, but how much that economic power has changed the lives of its citizens.
2047 is not a magical date when the country will suddenly become developed. It will be the result of the decisions and priorities we make today.
That is why the goal must be big, but we must not turn away from the questions about the path to reach it. Achievements should be highlighted, but shortcomings should not be hidden. Development should be fast, but its benefits should reach a wide section of society.
Only then can the dream of a developed India in 2047 rise above being a political commitment and become a real experience in the lives of millions of Indians.
*(The author is a well-known educationist, thinker and speaker. He was a professor at the University of Delhi for 44 years |
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