Productivity Centre, Income and Poverty… Brainstorm on Developing India by 2047 at NITI Aayog Meeting

Excerpts from the vision document on developed India at the NITI Aayog meeting have been kept. In this, an attempt has been made to explain what are the requirements to make India a developed country by 2047 and how India will progress towards this. In the meeting, Prime Minister Modi called for setting targets for villages to eradicate poverty. The Prime Minister believes that districts should become vehicles of development. It is important to define what a developed India is. India has all the characteristics of a developed country with per capita income on par with high income countries in the world today. It will identify an India, a developed nation with a rich heritage in its social, cultural, technological and institutional characteristics, capable of operating at the frontier of knowledge. India has set a growth target of 2047. The World Bank defines high-income countries as having annual per capita income above US$14,005 (in 2023). India has the potential and ambition to become a high income country by the centenary of independence in 2047. However, being a developed country, developed India cannot be limited to a monetary attribute. It should mean a good quality of life for individuals and enable a vibrant, culturally rich and harmonious society. Some features of developed India are as follows. In a developed India, every citizen will have universal access to high-quality services including quality housing, 24×7 clean drinking water and electricity, high-speed broadband and banking facilities. Healthy lives with longer life expectancy and access to world-class and affordable health services. Meaningful education and skills for all with universal literacy and multidisciplinary, lifelong learning. Full employment and prosperous livelihoods, being part of a global workforce and living in a community with job and entrepreneurial opportunities. Greater use of technology in all sectors, including advanced technologies such as AI-enabled medicine, education and agriculture. State-of-the-art infrastructure including public transport, DPI and telecommunications. A developed India should become a leading country in the world economy. Be a driver of global economic growth, a magnet for global talent, trade and capital. Its cities and markets will be among the largest and best commercial and financial centers in the world. There are global business champions of Indian origin in manufacturing, services, agriculture, research and development and innovation, and Indian companies work at the frontiers of innovation, technology and scale. There should be a vibrant rural economy where the standard of living of rural people is at par with that of urban areas. The average rural income (agricultural and non-agricultural) should be equal to the per capita income of the country. Be a model of inclusive and democratic development for the world, a leading member of global forums and a catalyst for dialogue and peace.