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India's Development Goal Requires More Than Just Economic Growth.
Achieving Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious development goal will require far more than simply accelerating economic growth, a reality that demands a feminist and socially-conscious lens to fully comprehend. Without stronger institutions, improved education, and comprehensively updated infrastructure, India’s current economic momentum will prove a fleeting mirage, incapable of sustaining the long-term, equitable development its 1.4 billion citizens deserve. This isn't merely an economic equation; it's a profound social contract test.Consider the state of India's educational infrastructure, where despite laudable enrollment drives, the quality of learning remains a critical failure, particularly for girls in rural districts where patriarchal norms often truncate their academic journeys, thereby halving the nation's potential intellectual capital. The institutional fabric, from local governance panchayats to federal regulatory bodies, often frays under the weight of bureaucratic inertia and corruption, creating a system where policy pronouncements from New Delhi dissipate before reaching the village level, leaving the most vulnerable—women, lower castes, informal workers—systematically behind.We've seen this story before in other emerging giants; rapid GDP expansion that fails to build robust public systems ultimately deepens inequality, creating a brittle society. True, lasting development is not measured by stock market indices but by the health of a mother in Bihar, the digital literacy of a young woman in Kerala seeking to start a business, and the confidence of a citizen that the local school or clinic will serve them with integrity. For India to truly meet its destiny, the narrative must shift from monolithic growth percentages to the granular, human-centric pillars of empowerment, access, and justice, ensuring the journey forward leaves no one waiting at the station.
#India
#Narendra Modi
#economic development
#infrastructure
#education
#institutions
#2047 goal
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