Countdown 2047: How India can take immense strides and awake to its true potential in next 25 years

Seventy-five years ago today, India embarked on its remarkable journey as a free country. Across this considerable expanse of time, we have accomplished much. In terms of purchasing power parity, India is the world’s third-largest economy. Using market prices, we are the sixth largest, and should overtake UK, the old colonial power, in the near future. By 2048, according to OECD’s calculations, we could be larger than the US economy using purchasing power parity, and at current prices, about 50% of the superpower’s GDP. As per the seminal research by Angus Maddison, India was the world’s largest economy between 1 and 1000 AD and again in 1700, before the industrial revolution took hold in the west.

The Indian economy has thus re-emerged in the last 75 years, and its pace has picked up in the last 30. Recent achievements, notably the rapid spread of digitisation, financial inclusion and a successful mass vaccination programme have won global acclaim.

What will the Indian economy look like in 2047, the 100th anniversary of Independence? Much like attaining Independence, becoming a prosperous, trend-setting inclusive global power means accomplishing many tasks that we have set ourselves.

Becoming the third-biggest economy in the world by 2030, a global hub for R&D and a humming knowledge economy, reaping the much-vaunted demographic dividend, being truly atmanirbhar while being plugged into global value chains, becoming a sporting superpower, providing accessible quality healthcare to all, becoming a startup super-breeder and unleashing India’s pent-up entrepreneurial spirit, leading to bring about a clean, sustainable world, and gaining a permanent place as a geopolitical leader, are trajectories that have already been set in motion. These journeys are all part of a single destination: India 2047.

Counting down the next 25 years is also counting on India’s ability and prowess to deliver. At the stroke of the midnight hour 75 years ago, India awoke to life and freedom. In ET’s special COUNTDOWN 2047 section, we take a look at a number of fields in which India should make immense strides and awake to its true potential 25 years from now. As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, we count down another tryst we are destined to keep.

1.
How demographic dividend can become a demographic curse

2.
Will urban infra, roads, sanitation, public spaces finally become on a par with developed economies?

3.
Will India’s white-collar workers overwhelmingly work hybrid, from anywhere, gig it, or office it again?

4.
Going Rurban: Will villages be relieved of 64% rural population & become the rich ‘countryside’?

5.
Countdown to 2047: Will India form alliances with like-minded economies to keep China at bay?

6.
From GB to TB: Can India make the paradigm jump to hyperconnectivity both in quantity and quality?

7.
Countdown 2047: Will India finally be a pleasant, healthy and safe climatic territory to live in?

8.
Countdown to 2047: Can India truly become a knowledge economy, home to learning, skilling and R&D?

9.
Countdown to 2047: How a new energy mix could turbocharge India growth story

10.
Countdown to 2047: Will India take biosciences to the farmyard to become the world’s food mart?

11.
Countdown to 2047: Can India feed entrepreneurial appetite by removing obstacles?

12.
Countdown to 2047: Will India go from potential worldbeaters to global champs in sports?

13.
Countdown to 2047: What will it take to leapfrog from a rickety health caretaker to provider of cutting-edge healthcare?

14.
Can the country jumpstart from Make in India to Make Quality in India and does it even intend to?

15.
Will India become a pioneer of immersive entertainment across platforms?

16.
Will the cult of equity thrive as the Indian economy embarks on the recovery path?

17.
From data storage to governance, can India become a blockchain innovation hub?

18.
Will India move away from import dependence and become self-reliant in hi-tech weapons?

19.
Will startups find India to be a happy stomping ground where it’s easy to start up, scale up, or even shut shop?

20.
What a long, enriching trip it’s been (so far)

21.
August 15, 1947: There were twists in India’s tryst with destiny

22.
KM Birla explains how India’s growth path will be decided by how it harnesses its greatest natural asset

23.
Sunil Mittal explains how India is poised for a data explosion that will have spin-offs all across its economy

24.
The next stretch, India@100: When will country’s real transformation happen?

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