Make In India For The World

Achieving developed status by 2047 is a humongous but achievable task. To get a sense of the scale of the task first, reaching the target set by the PM of achieving a per capita income of $18,000 by 2047 would require a sustained growth rate of around 9.2% annually till then. Only a few East Asian countries have been able to sustain above 8% growth rates for 25 years or so in the past.

To succeed, we will need a laser-sharp focus on dominating world markets by increasing our export competitiveness. Export growth will provide the engine that drives domestic consumption and investment, as it has in every single previous instance of a rapidly growing economy.

India’s own growth spurt since 1991 has been export-led, but it has as yet been in the service- and capital-intensive sectors. “Make in India” needs to be “Make in India for the world”, including in labour-intensive industrial sectors where India can reap dividends from its favourable demography.

This is why The Convergence Foundation (TCF) has chosen to focus on what may currently be a somewhat under explored area in philanthropy: driving rapid and sustained growth, a key pillar of which has to be enhanced exports of goods, services and talent.

An important aspect of TCF’s work is to identify strategies to ramp up productive employment by enhancing export competitiveness and India’s manufacturing prowess. Together with our portfolio organisations such as Foundation For Economic Development (FED), we have leveraged research and data to draw up blueprints and action plans for an export-led, labour-intensive strategy driving economic growth, including detailed programmes for specific labour-intensive sectors such as garments, processed foods, electronics, the MSME sector.

Studies have established the role of large and highly productive firms as engines of growth across the world. China, for instance, witnessed a burst of high productivity and large firms during 2000-2015 which drove its growth during that period, while declining business dynamism in recent years has correlated with a falloff in large firm and productivity growth. TCF is currently looking at the ability of highly productive firms to adequately scale in India, and what can be done to eliminate the factors inhibiting such growth.

Further, if low-cost labour is a comparative advantage for India, Indian labour can be fruitfully employed abroad as well. India already receives $125 billion in remittances annually, surpassing any single category of merchandise exports. Remittances flow directly into households, enhancing consumption, education, and health spending, and significantly reducing poverty.

While migrants constitute approximately 1.3% of India’s population, this is substantially lower than Mexico (8.6%), Philippines (5.1%) or Bangladesh (4.3%). Affluent nations will need an additional 400 million workers over the next 30 years if they are to maintain their current (historically low) ratios of working-age population to those over 65. India should aim to at least double overseas employees to around 40 million and remittances to reach $300 billion annually by 2030.

Philanthropy can play an important role in accelerating overseas employment. Philanthropic outfits can present evidence-based research and case studies to build salience for overseas migration, fund pilots for such things as language and skills training for potential migrants, collaborate with the government and its ministries like External Affairs and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, support the formation of an industry body, forge global partnerships and develop the recruitment industry.

TCF is currently authoring a report in this exciting new area that will present evidence-backed recommendations on all of the above, with the goal of transforming India into a Global Talent Hub. We are also scouting for partners, while looking at supporting or incubating an entity that will maintain a long-term commitment to increasing safe and legal skill-based overseas employment.

Another exciting area for philanthropy is building India’s tourism economy. Tourism generates 78 jobs for every million rupees invested, compared to 18 in manufacturing and 45 in agriculture. India currently underperforms in its share of global tourism, capturing only 1.5-1.7% of global tourist arrivals and earnings despite harbouring a range of spectacular monuments, landscapes ranging from the tallest mountains to dense forests with exotic wildlife, backwaters and beaches, religious attractions, culture and wellness tourism options and the most diverse cuisine in the world. It can realistically aim to grow its tourism sector from $190 billion currently to $500 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2036, if the right policies and institutional support are in place.

Philanthropy can play a role here by presenting evidence of the advantages of high-value tourism and driving consensus among key stakeholders, collaborating with the government and private sector to pilot innovative financing models, supporting new governance frameworks for advancing tourism, and designing key policy reforms that would simplify tourism regulations. TCF is looking at incubating a new action-oriented entity to support these functions.

These are some of the ways by which TCF and portfolio organisations are working to catalyse India’s industrial take-off under 21st century conditions, as the best possible route to raising productive employment and living standards across the country. If we act in concert, the much-awaited “tryst with destiny” this nation made in 1947 lies within reach.

Ashish Dhawan

Founder-CEO, The Convergence Foundation

BUILDING SALIENCE ON SYSTEMS CHANGE

In May, we launched our report, Systemic Impact Exemplars: Unique Approaches Towards Solving India’s Development Challenges, in New Delhi. To deepen the conversation on systems change, we hosted the 'Creating Systemic Impact' event in Bengaluru on June 25 in partnership with Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies , Centre for Exponential Change , and India Impact Sherpas .

Building on this momentum, our July 18 event in Mumbai marked a significant step in engaging philanthropists on systems change, and fostering conversations around adopting a more strategic, systemic approach to giving. The event featured keynote addresses from Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, and Ajay Piramal , Chairman and Executive Director of Piramal Group . Nilekani emphasised the importance of designing initiatives for scale from the outset, while Piramal highlighted the need for collaboration with the government, noting that philanthropic capital must complement government efforts to create lasting impact. Collaborating with Accelerate Indian Philanthropy, 波士顿谘询公司 , A.T.E. Chandra Foundation , India Impact Sherpas, and Motilal Oswal, this event explored how private Indian philanthropy can be a catalyst for systemic transformation.

INVESTING FOR INDIA’S GROWTH

Ashish Dhawan recently joined Rahul Ahluwalia , Founding Director of FED, for a thought-provoking episode of FED Dialogues. They discussed Ashish’s evolving philanthropic focus, emphasising the shift toward economic growth as the key driver of human development. The conversation also explored how ‘portfolio’ investing principles apply to philanthropy by diversifying risk and reward.

Watch the full episode here!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR NETWORK

From The Last Quarter

Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP) is a peer network set up by philanthropists for philanthropists to support their giving efforts. In collaboration with BCG, AIP launched its Wealth with Purpose report on July 18 in Mumbai, co-hosted with Motilal Oswal Financial Services and TCF. Over 200 attendees, including philanthropists and thought leaders, engaged in discussions. In Gurugram, 75 thought leaders and philanthropists, including members of the Delhi NCR Advisory Council, gathered at BCG’s office for the launch. The report explores insights from 100 UHNIs on philanthropy, emphasising strategic and systemic giving to inspire collective action—urging more, sooner, and better contributions for large-scale impact.

A-PAG supports the National Clean Air Programme’s goal of reducing air pollution levels by 40% by 2026. It has addressed over 300,000 pollution issues in 13 cities across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab through their flagship program targeting dispersed sources. Their Patna pilot for traffic decongestion improved traffic speeds by 18%, reducing emissions from idling vehicles. Building on this success, the program has expanded to additional hotspots in Patna and Prayagraj, with plans to launch in Lucknow soon.

Central Square Foundation works to improve learning outcomes of all school-going children in India with a system reform approach. It launched the Mission Ankur Annual Assessment Report 2024 at the MP NIPUN Professionals Conclave in Bhopal, showcasing progress from CSF's System Reform efforts in partnership with Rajya Shiksha Kendra, MP Government. The report revealed student learning outcomes among Grades 2 and 3 in government schools under the State's flagship FLN program, with findings assessed, owned, and publicly shared by the government. The event was graced by MP Education Minister Shri Uday Pratap Singh and senior officials, who announced the results of the state NIPUN Mission, Mission Ankur, covering 2022 to 2024.

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) works on enhancing state capacity in order to deliver better development outcomes. It signed three new MoUs focused on public service delivery and governance. It partnered with the Assam Administrative Staff College to introduce and scale a competency-based capacity-building approach aligned with Mission Karmayogi. CEGIS also extended its partnership with Karmayogi Bharat-SPV until March 2027 to enhance initiatives on the iGOT Karmayogi platform. Additionally, it signed an MoU with the Capacity Building Commission to collaborate on capacity-building initiatives across Indian government departments.

Centre for Research in Schemes & Policies (CRISP) supports central and state governments in designing social sector schemes. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was briefed by R. Subhramanyam on CRISP's efforts in the education sector and praised its focus on critical thinking in schools. In a pre-budget consultation, CRISP presented a 10-point plan to advance education, covering early childhood education, middle school outcomes, vocational skills, school board reform, NIPUN BHARAT, skill-integrated higher education, the National Digital University, NEP implementation, and linking higher education with the National Research Foundation.

ChangeInkk Foundation seeks to unlock the potential of over 200 million Indians with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) by driving systemic transformation. In July, it signed an MoU with NIEPID Secunderabad and launched identification programs across six states to train master trainers and special educators. These trainers will equip teachers to identify at-risk students. In Uttar Pradesh, ChangeInkk is helping organise disability certification camps, which for the first time include certification for SLD.

Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology - India aims to position India among the top 3 Science & Technology powers globally. From June to August, it released key reports on R&D in the automobile and aerospace sectors, launched the Labstack digital platform for researchers & analysed India’s science and technology performance. FAST also hosted a panel discussion, ‘Making India a Top 3 S&T Nation’, featuring experts like Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao and Dr. Vijay Chandru. On August 9, it launched the SciComm ThinkLabs Report, offering insights into Science Communication and Public Engagement in India.

Foundation For Economic Development aims to drive sustained economic growth of over 10% to improve the lives of all Indians. A key initiative is the creation of large, differentially governed clusters, including Nodal Investment Regions for Manufacturing (NIRMAN) zones, with the authority to grant clearances and set rules. FED presented this concept to the UP Chief Minister in August 2023 and collaborated with Invest UP to draft the NIRMAN legislation, approved by the UP Cabinet in July 2024. The legislation now awaits state assembly approval, with FED actively supporting its implementation.

ILSS - India Leaders for Social Sector aims to build leadership talent and capacity within the social sector. It launched the State of the Sector Report on Digital Transformation for Nonprofits in India in July 2024, following an extensive study with 40+ nonprofits and 15+ experts. The report found that 90% of organisations believe tech solutions can enhance program goals, and 88% feel the need for mentorship for digital adoption. Addressing this, ILSS developed The ILSS Digital Transformation for Social Impact Program, covering topics such as intro to digital transformation (DT), designing, building, and risk mitigation for DT, data and AI. It includes live case studies and mentorship to help participants create tailored DT roadmaps.

Prosperiti aims to drive state-level reforms akin to the 1991 economic reforms, empowering entrepreneurs to create more jobs and boost worker earnings. It supported the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) and Ministry of Finance with insights on regulatory reforms in labor and land use. Their research was cited in the 2023 Economic Survey and mentioned by the CEA in a press conference. Land use reforms were also included in this year’s budget under the ‘Scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.’ Prosperiti’s work has been featured in media outlets like Cut The Clutter and Economic Times.

Sports and Society Accelerator aims to achieve universal participation in Sports and Physical Activity (SAPA) by 2047, with every child playing and every adult active. In partnership with GoSports Foundation, SSA launched the Billion Plus Sports Incubator to support social enterprises working with marginalised communities. It also released the State of Sports and Physical Activity in India report with Dalberg Advisors, assessing physical activity levels & highlighting the socio-economic benefits of increased participation.

The Infravision Foundation aims to contribute to policy initiatives for India's infrastructure development. In partnership with NDTV, it launched the InfraShakti Awards to honour achievements in scalable, sustainable, and innovative infrastructure across sectors like water conservation, transportation, and renewable energy. The inaugural ceremony, held on July 2 in New Delhi, featured a special 'Infra-Visionary' category for exceptional thought leadership. The awards will be held annually.

The Udaiti Foundation is committed to driving India's vision of a $10 trillion economy, through two key objectives of increasing India's FLFPR to 50% and doubling the number of women owned enterprises in the country. Through Mission U.N.N.A.T.I., launched on July 25, TUF is driving Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in Uttar Pradesh. The initiative, supported by the Planning Department, focuses on advancing WEE as part of the state's $1 trillion economy goal. Key figures, including Shri Manoj Kumar Singh and Shri Awanish Kumar Awasthi, attended the event, which also introduced a WEE Index to measure district-level progress. The occasion also featured the release of a comprehensive study titled ??????, ????????, ?????: Potential Levers and Opportunities for Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment in U.P.

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