Shaping India's Future

A Vision for 2047 and Beyond

Rakesh Kumar Pal

As India prepares to celebrate its 78th Independence Day on August 15, 2024, the nation finds itself at a pivotal moment where the pull of the future intersects with the reality of the present. Humanity's enduring curiosity about what lies ahead has always driven a quest to understand and influence the course of events. India embodies this spirit profoundly, where the ancient quest for knowledge and innovation remains as vibrant as ever. Historical figures like Aryabhatta, Sushruta, and Dhanvantari left an indelible mark on their times with their groundbreaking contributions in astronomy, medicine, and science. Their work, supported by enlightened patrons, not only addressed the challenges of their eras but also set the stage for future generations. As India reflects on its journey from a period of colonial struggle to its current status as a dynamic and forward-looking nation, it continues to draw inspiration from its rich legacy of intellectual and scientific pursuit, charting a course that bridges past achievements with future ambitions.

Vision India @2047

The year 2047 will undoubtedly be a landmark year, marking the 100th anniversary of the country's independence from British rule. This milestone will not only be a significant commemoration but will also test the nation's collective resolve to address enduring issues such as poverty, inequality, and disparities in economic and technological advancement. With over a billion citizens expected to navigate these challenges by 2047, the Government of India is preparing to introduce a range of initiatives aimed at eliminating economic disparities, addressing citizens' grievances with government services, developing an effective judicial system, ensuring a fully accountable bureaucracy, and fostering a political environment free of nepotism and dynastic influence. Addressing these challenges will require a comprehensive set of measures that the government must undertake. Some of these measures might include:

Economic Prowess:

The renowned statesman Chanakya had rightly defined "Economics is the most important aspect as it provides the basis for human existence and survival." A person is judged on the basis of his/her character, but a nation is judged on the basis of its economic arsenal. After watching closely the progress of the Indian economy, especially post-COVID, foreign investors are, for the first time experiencing 'Fear Of Missing Out' ruing the missed opportunities. When the global economy was finding it difficult to sail through the twin global crises-the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in Gaza, India tactfully maintained equidistance from both the issues and even overturned western outreach on more than one occasions to shun oil diplomacy with the Kremlin. Keeping its national interests above all, India not only hard–bargained for the Russian oil but also maintained upright relations with the Ukraine and Arab nations as well as with the Israel. This approach proved to be a masterstroke, as India has demonstrated that, if necessary, it will prioritise a nation-first approach over yielding to international pressures.

Moreover, through the successful conduct of the G20 Summit, India has signaled with élan that when it comes to showcasing the brilliance of the country, it is second to none. The world is slowly acquiescing to the China+1 policy for which India has been canvassing for long. Slowly but smartly, India is maneuvering its resources to raise the current the $2500 per capita income to $13000 for its citizens to qualify for the definition of a developed country by 2047 and make it at least a $30 trillion economy. At the same time, the nation must remain careful of the unemployment rate which has, in the past, dented the country's economic resolve. In order to maintain a sustained rate of growth, India must strategise to strengthen international economic partnerships, coupled with a commitment to open and fair trade practices under the long-term goal of global economic integration. Acting on the clarion call by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi of the 3Ds - Democracy, Demography, and Diversity, India hopes to cross the final line before it celebrates its centenary of independence.

Digital Revolution

One aspect of India that has taken the world by storm is the digital revolution that has steadily gained momentum since the early 2000 and is still on the rise. For example, UPI transactions in India increased from Rs 1 lakh crore in 2017-2018 to Rs 139 lakh crore in 2022-2023, representing 62% of digital payment transactions across the world. In 2012 RuPay card was issued by the National Payments Corporation of India with the aim to develop a first of its kind global Payment Network of India with wide acceptance at ATMs, Point of Sale Devices, and e-commerce platforms across the country. NPCI launched an international subsidiary called NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) on 19th August 2020 to increase the globalisation and availability of RuPay in foreign markets. As of March 2021, the market share of RuPay in India by volumes of traction is at 34% and by value 30%.

Digital transparency is today the talk of the town and the government of India is taking it with both hands. To enhance citizen satisfaction, the government is promoting e-governance through various measures such as implementation of e-Office for file movement, Bhavishya Pension Portal for filing pension papers, Jeevan Pramaan for generating life certificate of pensioners and so on. Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances is a key department that has been entrusted with the work of executing these aspirational reforms.

Social & Religious Harmony

To maintain an upward affluent trajectory and that too for quite a long time requires that a country lay low and boss up while maneuvering through its ultimate goal of achieving the zenith. Societies thrive in tranquility and they attract investments only if they harbour social and religious harmony. For long, India has remained in turmoil losing out on possible investments due to the frequent religious upheavals. By and large, Indians are peaceful and follow the mantra of Vasudhaiva kutumbakam meaning "the world is one family." But, as India is home to various ancient religions, there exist various contrary beliefs and manifestations that at times lead to weakening of the religious thread that binds all the Indians.

The challenge of the millennium is that this thread of communal harmony must be strengthened at all costs because only then we will be able to appreciate efforts across religions, caste and creed. As mentioned by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that among all the castes, the poor, the youth, women, and farmers were the biggest for him, and that only the uplift of these "castes" would lead to the progress of the country. The statement is a great leveler as not only it will enthuse the coming generations but will help the political class stride of the perennial premise of political gains achieved through manipulation of the caste system.

Military Might

Through centuries, India has remained a country of peace lovers despite the fact that it has been raided relentlessly by an incessant number of invaders mostly through its north western borders. History of the subcontinent affirms that its rulers have never attacked their proximate contemporaries just for want of land, wealth or other earthly matters unless and until their very existence is in danger. In today's era also India is vying for the Aatmanirbhar Bharat as far as the defence sector is concerned. To ensure that by 2047 Indian military becomes a force to reckon with, Indian must reinforce its military doctrine with inputs of artificial intelligence, cyber and robotic warfare, space based assets and various unmanned systems considering the dual threats from its northern and north western neighbours. It will also be imperative for India to enter into strategic partnerships and collaborations with countries lying on the same equilibrium.

Demographic Rebalancing

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has on many occasions emphasised that India must be proud of its rich and varied demography. The success that Indians have achieved the world over is testimony to the affluence of Indians as a community and their contributions are lauded by one and all. But to maintain a sustainable balance, India must keep a check on its skyrocketing numbers unless and until it becomes a burden on the system. Some pointers indicate that by the current rate of growth, India's population will reach up to 1.64 billion in 2047. To ensure that till 2047 the country is empowered with a well-educated and erudite populace, the government must pay heed to matters of women empowerment, family planning programmes, and introduction of various incentive schemes for curtailing population and a well-developed and effective healthcare infrastructure. Although population related policies are to be dealt sensitively as they are marked by individual choices, cultural diversities and involve a general respect to human rights. Hence, coercive methods should not be used in democracies.

Promotion of Agriculture and Industrialisation

India is primarily an agrarian economy with significant industrialisation, and both sectors are anticipated to continue being the backbone of the country's economy in the long term. By adopting a comprehensive and integrated strategy for advancing both agriculture and industry, India can secure sustained economic growth, generate employment opportunities, and enhance the standard of living for its citizens. Adapting strategies to evolving economic conditions, technological progress, and global market trends is crucial for ensuring long-term success.

Reforms in Governance

Any government aspiring to become a good governance model for the world must be equipped with a compassionate and corruption free service force. It is not enough that the staff is made proficient with regular capacity building programmes but it is also imperative that they are taught to respect human values as ultimately they have to deal with them only. One of the key arms of the Government namely, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, could play pivotal role in this, as the department has been entrusted with bringing about administrative reforms in the government functionary. In the past, the department came up with administrative reforms like doing away with the system of attestations by gazetted officials etc. to name a few. Over the years, various committees and commissions have recommended reforms to streamline administrative processes, reduce bureaucracy, and improve service delivery through tools of e-governance, digitisation, decentralisation and innovations in governance. So the responsibility of the department rises manifolds if India is to achieve its goal by 2047.

Apart from the above, India must plan to become a sporting giant, invest heavily in infrastructure development, boost private investment and ultimately become a role model for sustainable development. Although the 5 year plans have been abandoned, the 2047 plan must be revisited on frequent basis to revamp goals and objectives based on the evolving world order and stride through any black swan event(s).

Conclusion

If India is to reach its destination, the collective conscience of the country needs to leapfrog. The country's smoldering success should continue after 25 years also. The apex policy think tank of India NITI Aayog is brainstorming to come up with an exhaustive 25 years vision document to create a blueprint for India's development in the next 25 years and the plan is under transit through the best of minds in the higher echelons of the government. But it is certainly not only the government's responsibility to see that by the centenary year of India's independence, the country becomes a developed nation. For that matter no country can, unless and until the common citizens, private sector and civil society come together and contribute for the cause. Only then in true sense Ram Rajya will be unveiled.

(The author is Assistant Library & Information Officer, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Government of India. Feedback on this article can be sent to feedback.employmentnews@gmail. com).

Views expressed are personal.