BEING ATMANIRBHAR IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS A VIKSIT BHARAT

A TMANIRBHAR and Viksit.These two qualifiers of Bharat are likely to feature prominently in any word cloud constructed on national narratives since the pandemic.

- AASHISH CHANDORKAR VIVEK SINGH

In fact, the idea of an Atmanirbhar Bharat is very closely linked to the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

The conceptualization of a developed country can be painted on the canvas of Amrit Kaal the 25-year period from 2022 leading up to 2047, when the modern nation-state of India would have been free for 100 years along several dimensions. An Atmanirbhar Bharat strengthens the foundations of each of these. The most common way to think about Viksit Bharat is the economic one, with international organisations like the World Bank prescribing the per-capita gross national income threshold to cross, to be labelled a developed country. The importance of aspiring for atmanirbharta for a strong economy cannot be overstated.

Looking back in history, a definitive lesson can be drawn from countries that developed on the back of distinctive competitive advantages. The ascent of the United States as an innovative, creative destruction-led economy or the rise Japan as the world's electronics powerhouse, was a result of home-grown, fit-for-context economic and industrial policies. Strengths in specific sectors and the ability to shape the global business flows underpinned the economic rise of these countries.