A $5 trillion economy, but for whom?
The HinduLast week, at an election rally in Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he is extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna, a scheme providing 5 kg of foodgrains free every month to beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act, by five years because he does not want any citizen to sleep hungry. This is the year the government expects India to become the third largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $5 trillion. The story of Japan’s growth For reference, let’s take a look at Japan today, the third largest economy by GDP in the world. India’s economic growth pivots on capital, productivity and labour, and data show that for over four-fifth of Indians, the $5 trillion economy is a bridge too far. The government’s tools and sectors for achieving this goal were identified by the Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhri, in Parliament on August 2023 as “digital economy, fintech, energy transition, climate change… GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, decrease in corporate tax, Make in India, Start-Up India, Production Linked Incentives”, all prefaced by the mandatory mantra “inclusive growth”.