India has set for itself a grand strategic goal—to become a ‘developed nation’—or ‘Viksit Bharat’—by the time the nation celebrates the centenary of its independence in 2047.
The goal is a demanding one, even when we assess it against a relaxed definition of a developed state—a per capita income of at least $12,000, compared to about $2,700 currently. The low per capita income underlines the persistent and multiple unmet challenges of under-development.
The principal focus of the endeavour—to become a developed state, is internal and tied to the comprehensive reforms—social, economic, political, military and institutional—that will help accelerate India’s rise.
The reforms of the last few decades which have made India’s ambition to become a developed state a plausible one, have also transformed India’s relationship with the world. With nearly 40 per cent of its GDP tied to imports and exports, India has never been as intricately interconnected with the world as it is today.
Leveraging this interdependence with the world, then, is a critical element of India’s grand strategy to become a developed nation. It involves deploying its growing economic size, military potential, and technological talent to negotiate better terms in engaging with the world. It also involves the mobilisation of the external world and its resources as well as the exploitation of international contradictions to accelerate India’s internal transformation.
