Getting viksit needs a proper 360° plan

Even as the electoral theatre is moving towards its climax, GoI is hatching plans to transition India from developing to developed status. This segue is especially challenging, given that it will also require dealing with constraints imposed by environmental challenges such as pollution and biodiversity loss. India will need to grow its economy, improve living standards of all its people, without ecologically shooting itself in the foot. With a little more than a decade to reach its target, this requires an all-of-government/society approach. That GoI is not sitting back till June to prepare these short-, mid- and long-term plans is prudent thinking.

But India rolling up its sleeves to form a plan to become ‘viksit’ by 2047 comes at a time of polycrisis. Besides the climate challenge, geopolitical fragmentation and the ongoing churn on the world stage – with India claiming its spot there – will put the country’s efforts in the spotlight, making it a test case for other aspiring nations. This requires planning and coordination at scale. Ensuring that plans for 2025-35 leave no one behind will require getting the best and widest possible inputs. As ministries factor these in to draw up their plans, they will need to undertake impact assessments of different pathways to become viksit by 2047. This is essential to identify the best possible pathways to achieve the target.

Further consultations with all stakeholders, including states, will be critical to zero in on a plan of action that is viable. This, as GoI must be well aware of, also means ministries and departments talking to each other, and at the same time listening to ‘external’ critical voices for optimisation, without turning into silos of good intentions and echo chambers.