The Spirit of the 75th Independence Day - Poised for the Dawn of a New India

When Neeraj Chopra sealed the gold medal for India, it probably did not just mark our first Gold in Athletics. It also marked the beginning of a new era in the history of a nation that once played a key role in global civilizational growth.?

Historically, India has been one of the fundamental pillars of global growth. Not only has it controlled the silk routes in ancient times that linked Europe with Asia but also dominated the maritime trade. Its contribution in the field of science & technology, chemistry, mathematics, and spirituality are also remarkable.?

In the latter part of the last millennium, the nation lost its steam and was pushed into a sustained era of cultural ignorance & stagnation, and economic dormancy.?

However, things have started to alter and the country once again stands at an interesting juncture in its history. While standing at the dawn of its 75th Independence Day, we are slowly and gradually gaining our lost glory. We have made a mark in the global service economy and our manufacturing is also growing at a fervent pace.??

Despite the pandemic mitigating our growth momentum, we have successfully set the stage for a quicker economic recovery.??

In the last 10 years, we have systematically improved our infrastructure, considerably bridging the gap with other developed economies. GOI is working on an infrastructure grid that is worth USD 1.4 trillion. Soon, high-speed bullet trains will be a reality. India is working on ~ 100 new greenfield airport projects and under the Flagship program UDAN, we aim to cohesively link various remote parts of the country. GOI also announced an aggressive port modernization strategy, which will surely give us a bigger share in modern maritime trade.?

In the previous edition of Ease of Doing Business Rankings, we climbed by 17 positions to reach the 63rd rank. In the World Competitive Index, we hold a solid 43rd position.?

These are remarkable feats for a nation, which a few decades back was believed to be an archetype of a typical third-world economy.?

On the other hand, there are also numerous frontiers where we have not been able to make achievements as desired.?India still holds an abysmally low rank of 94 amongst 107 nations in the World Hunger Index. This shows that despite notable economic growth, we're falling short of providing adequate food to all strata of society. This is a grave concern and would need concentrated efforts. A great nation can never be built on hungry stomachs. Till adequate food and nutrition are provided to every Indian, our success saga will be incomplete.?

From here we have to change our game. It may have taken us almost 75 years to seal our maiden gold in Athletics but we have to be unstoppable from here. The next 100 medals should not take much time. All it requires is commitment and the desire to excel at every level of all segments that constitute our national fabric - the affluent, the middle class, and the emerging class. When the sweat and blood of 1.35 billion strong Indians collectively work, the days of glory will not be very far off.

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