New India: Aspirations for Global Leadership

 New India: Aspirations for Global Leadership 

“Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached“

• Points to think
• This clarion call by the visionary saint still shines with relevancy. The form of challenge may have transformed but the enormity of the task demands a similar sustained display of brilliance. Honesty of spirited efforts by every countryman can weave the social fabric to richness and quicken our strides towards global leadership. The “tryst with destiny” that began over six decades back has witnessed an eventful journey of this young democracy. Beset with a unique set of challenges, India tasted its own share of successes and failures and emerged stronger with every experience. The British rule held back the flight of this golden bird, which was destined to emerge as a global leader. India failed to assume that role then, but comes with greater sense of responsibility to claim the mantle.
• In the era of growing multipoarity, the role of global leadership assumes a surreal bliss. A nation – which can inspire confidence across the globe through its values and actions, a nation – which stands tall on strong fundamentals and a nation, with rich inclusive vision for the planet will only be accepted by the global community at such position. It is the preparedness of our society, which will determine our stake for global leadership.
• Thus, in this background, to prepare the nation for taking lead in Global leadership, India has launched “New India” initiative under which the country has set the aspirations to be achieved to be free from poverty, dirt, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism and a global leader in all spheres –social,economic,political,culture,environment,science and technology,Defence,Business etc.
• The initiative aims to manifest the strength and skills of 125 crorepeople of India and will create a Bhavya and Divya Bharat, Grand and Divine India  intergrating the country with world and helping it to emerge as global leader. To take forward the pledge of creating a new India that is strong, prosperous and all-encompassing, Sankalp se Siddhi” (Attainment through Resolve) scheme, which aims at good governance, has been launched. It is a five-year plan under which New India movement (2017-2022) would take place and transform India into “New India”. New India is a goal post, which India aspires to achieve by 2022, on 75^th Independence Day, by bringing all around prosperity and development in all sectors of economy and for all sections of society, which in turn would help India to emerge as a global leader at all fronts.
• Temporal Elaboration
• Even in the ancient time, the country led the world in many aspects. India was well known for its rich wealth, art and culture, civilization trade and resources.. There are many wonderful things India has introduced to the world.
•   India gave the world its first university – Takshashila University as early as 700 B.C,in the northwest region of India. India gave the world the numeral, Zero to use as a symbol and in arithmetic operations. Aryabhata was the first person to create a symbol for zero. India gave the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by means of ten symbols – the decimal system.
•  Jainism historically and Buddhism have been originated in India but subsequently flourished and developed several branches in other Asian countries and wolrd.
•  In the field of medicine also India led the world. Ayurveda ,an ancient system of medicine,originated in India  which dates back to Iron Age India (1st millennium BC) and is still practiced today as a form of complementary and alternative medicine in many parts of the world.. 
• Sushruta Samhita is considered to be one of the most comprehensive textbooks on ancient surgery Written by Sushruta in 6th Century. The text mentions various illnesses, plants, preparations and cures along with complex techniques of plastic surgery. Cataract surgery was first found in ancient India.
•  In agriculture, India taught the world to cultivate Jute, which has been cultivated in India since ancient times. India also exported raw jute to the western world, where it was used to make ropes and cordage. 
•  In economic field, India was the India was the world’s largest economy between 1 AD and 1000 AD.India was known Golden bird for its wealth.

PREPARING INDIA SOCIETY FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

• Points to think

• The need to prepare for global leadership is crucial in this globalised world. Leadership strengthens the voice of nation at global platform while advocating its vision and principles. It gives a bargaining power, which is inexplicably skewed in the present setting of United Nations. India has set various aspirations in different fields to be realized by 2022, which will help India to emerge as global leader.

In socio-cultural sphere

• A crucial element of society preparedness begins with the sense of security, one can provide to the weakest. The minorities in Indian society stand testimony to the efforts of inclusiveness as part of our nation building. Our constitutional values have been bedrock to develop a wholesome society from diverse strands of religion, caste, creed and language. Under “New India “country has aspired to become free of casteism and communalism and more Inclusive. The New India initiative aims to foster inclusiveness for women, poor, the middle-class and minorities and thus to empower this section of society.Government has launched a number of schemes and programmes such as Nai Manzil,Nai Roshni,USTAAD for the upliftment of the weaker section of society. This would inspire confidence in the global citizen that India would always stand for the weakest and march him to prosperity.
• The preparedness on cultural front is beyond comparison. Blessed with unique and diverse skills, India presents myriad dance forms, musical instruments, handicrafts, food items and skill sets to global community. The rich Indian tradition has achieved wide global recognition with the knowledge of Vedas finding a global audience. A number of Indian cultural sites have already found place in UNESCO’s world Heritage site and recently the adoption of 21^st June as International Yoga Day by United Nations countries establishes India’s trait to lead the world.

Women Empowerment

• The strength of any society can be gauged by the status of women in the India took years to shed its chains of orthodoxy and continues to expand the opportunities for women. The Indian growth story has witnessed an ever increasing women work force and their contribution. The wings of freedom have reached the rural thresholds also. Empowerment of women- socially, financially and politically – has transformed the face of Indian villages. Though some inhibition and social stigma remains, the winds of change are blowing for the better.
• Education has been the vehicle to deliver empowerment to women. With more girl child finding access to schools, information about opportunities has percolated to the nooks of the nation. Self-help groups have infused a new era of financial independence for millions of women. Informed about their rights, they spread the confidence across the globe in India’s vision and leadership. A major landmark in our society’s preparedness came with the Panchayati Raj act. The decentralised framework empowered the grassroots and brought dynamic changes in the face of society.With a special focus on education and employability Governmnet has taken various initiatives such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Mahila E-Haat – STEP,Swadhar Greh scheme etc.These initiatives would help country to act as role model for those countries where women even today becomes victim of violence, discrimination and unempoloability.

Demographic dividend

• The demographic dividend should be moulded to channelize the raw energy generated. The journey has left imprints in form of positive learning, which reinforces the progressive spirit of the nation. It is the strength of our society, which has propelled us as champions of the causes of developing world. The continuous preparation of society has bolstered our global image. Freedom of press and respect for human right has been established as Indian democracies shining armours. Our close competitor for global leadership, our neighbour fails to uphold these values based on tolerance and freedom of speech in the society. To leverage fruitfully the demographic dividend, India has set target and has taken initiatives such as Skill India to realize potential of country’s youth through education, skill development, elimination of gender bias, and employment.
• Further, “Digital India”, an initiative to empower every citizen with access to digital services, knowledge and information, is all set to transform the interface of the country’s socio-economic dynamics. It is deemed to bring systems and infrastructure up to speed and leverage the country’s workforce, establishing a firm foundation towards sustainable practices and eventually progress. The initiative will help India become the world leader in IT interface with e-Governance and e-servicesgetting maximum exposure. Empowering citizens digitally is one of the aspirations that India has set under “New India “mission.

Education and Skill Development

“Let the winds of knowledge blow in from every corner”-Rig Veda

• Only a strong literate society can gauge the global demands and display potential to guide the global community. Education system is continuously re-inventing itself to remain relevant and accessible to the masses. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and recent Right to Education (RTE) Act can go a long way in building an educated nation with each individual enabled to achieve his potential. More coordination, however, is required between the skill set imparted and demands of the industries providing employment. Along with institutions of global repute like IlTs, IIMs and AIIMS, India is striving to provide quality education to large student community through new central universities and engineering/medical/arts colleges. The functioning of the largest democracy of world has been the most livid and exemplary. In a short span of over six decades, India has negotiated the threats and shown resilience to infuse democracy as our biggest strength. The claims for global leadership get strengthened by acknowledgement of this fact by nations of the world. With increasing political maturity, the society may soon witness the much required police and electoral reforms, which will further aid in preparedness of society to help India emerge as a global leader in field of education and skill development.

Economic sphere

• Social preparedness remains hollow until backed by strong foundations of economy. Having weathered the recent global economic downturn in a relatively unscathed manner, Indian economy has displayed its strong fundamentals and strength of financial institutions. Better proliferation of bank branches to rural India will further augment the financial inclusion essential to build a global leader. Government’s Jan Dhan Yojna is a unique Initiative for financial inclusion in the country. Growth must percolate to the grassroots and yield fruits of development in the form of employment and better living conditions. This has been an arena of concern, though a proactive government intervention may soon clear the logjam.
• Further to give an impetus to manufacturing in India and make India a Global Manufacturing hub Make in India’ campaign to facilitate investment, foster innovation, enhance skill development, protect intellectual property & build best in class manufacturing infrastructure. The “Make in India” initiative is based on four pillars, which have been identified to give boost to entrepreneurship in India, not only in manufacturing but also other sectors. ‘Make in India’ recognizes ‘ease of doing business’ as the single most important factor to promote entrepreneurship and help India emerge as a global leader in entrepreneurship.

Agriculture and Food Security

Social preparedness will remain incomplete till India manages to ensure stability and security for upcoming generations. For a country, whose majority of population is dependent on Agriculture, an evergreen revolution in the agriculture is the need of the hour. Food and nutritional security are sine qua non for a nation to assume global leadership. Still swathes of the nation reels under poverty, malnutrition and hunger. Focus on increasing productivity, diversification of agricultural products and timely access to credit for farmers need to be pursued on war footing to strengthen the spine of an aspiring global leader. With a focus on increasing Agricultural productivity and ensure farmers welfare and food security, government has taken various initiative such as  National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA),doubling farmers income by 2022,  Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana(PMKSY), PMKSY(Per Drop More Crop) – Micro Irrigation etc.Simultanoeusly ,special focus is being paid on educating  farmers regarding crop diversification, use of technology in farming, how to tackle climate change impact on farming, water shed management and nutrient management etc ,to help them increase their farm productivity and in turn ensuring food security.

Internal Security

• Global leader is also expected to display efficiency in tackling its own problems with solutions that inspires generations. Left wing extremism is plaguing wide domains of nation and insurgency continue to unsettle the tranquillity of northeast. The achievement of critical balance of judicious use of force and developmental activities will display soundness of our policies. Balanced and inclusive development of society has to be materialised as a success story. The evolving Indian society has taken positive strides on the right path. The cancerous growth of corruption must be weeded out through legislation and change of mindsets.
• A Global leader must be able to convince the nations of its vision and direction. Gandhian values of truth and non-violence were demonstrated to be the most potent weapon bringing the downfall of the Raj on the Indian soil. The technical brilliance of our manpower has been globally acknowledged as the nerve centre of major multinationals are being powered by Indian grey cells. The solutions advocated by India to major world problems emerge as a result of a pragmatic, balanced and inclusive approach, thereby appealing to the majority of the globe.
• India has long suffered the scourge of terrorism but never initiated a destruction guaranteed approach of violent use of force. We never advocated violence as a solution and though apparently slow, our approach of dialogues and talks is the only means to obtain most sustaining results. India never believed in planting democracies and spoiling our shoes in the process. Rather, we have facilitated nation building and rehabilitation efforts round the globe. Our principles of Panchsheel and other foreign policy initiatives have garnered global recognition from time-to-time.

Environment

• Another global catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes is the global warming, for which pragmatic solutions have emerged from India. With an intensive focus on promotion of green energy, we display our commitments through action-based programs like the green India mission. Further, by taking a pledge to phase out single-use plastics by 2022, India has demonstrated global leadership. The arena of energy security is also finding an ecological and innovative approach from the Indian land. With new researches and investments in tapping renewable sources of energy, our society is preparing for a cleaner and greener future. This would help India to take lead in solving issues related to climate change and energy security at global level.

India as a soft power

• The emerging multi polarity receives a setback when the military might of nations is put on weighing scales. United States of America is miles ahead of the rest of the world on this front. But can this be a ticket to sustain the leadership role? The soft power of India has managed to encompass the world in unparalleled dimensions. Simultaneously, a scientific temper is gaining grounds in the Indian society. With more focus on research and development in coming years, the potential of rapid scientific advancements is waiting to unfold. Better-equipped forces will boost the morale of each citizen of this nation.

India in Global Governance

• India is aspiring and endeavouring to become part of various crucial global elite groups to make its place in global decision-making. India’s candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council is now supported as a legitimate aspiration by all existing permanent members, barring China, and testifies to the rise of India’s international stature. Further India’s membership in Nuclear Supplier group has also received support from many members of the elite group. Membership of these global elite groups will not only bring proud for the nation but also provide a chance to play a vital role in global governance.

CHALLENGES FOR NEW INDIA TO EMERGE AS GLOBAL LEADER

• Points to think

Challenges in Social sphere:

• Violence against women
• Child labour and juvenile crimes
• Multi-layered Health issues
• Casteism and caste conflict
• Communalism and communal conflict
• Slumization of urban areas(Ruralisation of urban life)
• Poverty in Indian villages

Challenges in Economic sphere

• Unemployment

Despite the measures for the increased employment opportunities through Skill India, Make in India and labour reforms among others, the unemployment rate has been on an upward swirl in recent years. As per the Fifth Annual Employment – Unemployment Survey (2015-16), the unemployment rate rose to 5%, as compared to 4.9% in 2013-14, 4.7% in 2012-13 and 3.8% in 2011-12.Moreover, the unemployment rate was significantly higher among females as compared to males. At the all India level, the female unemployment rate was estimated to be 8.7%, whereas for males it was 4.0%. Lower levels of employment rate among women are of much concern for the society as a whole.

• Skill gaps
• Problems in agriculture
• Stagnation in industrial production
• Feminization of poverty
• Informalisation of work organization

Challenges in Political sphere

• Governance Issues

During the launch of New India , Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to embrace a  New India, where people are not driven by the system, rather the system is driven by the people. To realize this, major irritants in the county’s governance issues such as corruption, criminalisation of politics and red tapism should be addressed with more vigor.  Despite reduced corruption levels, the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 declared India as only the 79th cleanest country among the 176 countries surveyed. Since the administrative corruption impact the common man severely and a major road block to the transformation of India, the policy makers should address this issue.

• Problems in local self-government
• Regional and cast politics
• Communalization of politics
• Use of money and muscle power in politics
• Conflict between centre and States
• Redtapism in Beaucracy

Challenges in Education Sphere

• High rate of illiteracy
• Educational disparity
• Lack of skill based educational structure
• High drop right rate of weaker section of society from higher education
• Recurrent problems in educational system for example: cheating

Though independent India has witnessed considerable growth in the fields of education over the 70 years, the progress is not adequate. So far, the focus has been on ‘quantity’ or expansion of services through more schools, colleges. But less emphasis was on quality aspect. The neglect on the quality aspect of vital sectors like – education– has been showing adverse impact on the quality of life, which is evident in the latest Human Development Index of the United Nations. In the 2016 rankings, India slipped to the 131st rank among the 188 countries surveyed. India’s human development index (HDI) value of 0.624 puts it in the “medium human development” category alongside Pakistan and other countries such as Congo and Namibia. Hence, to build New India, renewed efforts must be undertaken to improve the quality of life through better education to all sections of society.

Challenges in Sphere of Religion

• Tensions between religious communities
• Radicalization in name of religion
• Political polarization in name of religion
• Protection of minority rights

Challenges in Environmental Sphere

• Global warming and climate change
• Increasing Urban pollution
• Increasing intensity of flood, drought and other natural disaster
• Disaster Management: Apart from man-made disasters, India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of natural disasters. More than 58.6% of the land mass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity, 12% of its land is prone to floods and river erosion, close to 5,700 kms, out of the 7,516 kms long coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis and 68% of its cultivable area is vulnerable to droughts. The frequency and severity of disasters like floods and droughts has been accentuated by the adverse impacts of global warming and associated climate change. The recent flash floods in Mount Abu (2017), Chennai (2015), Kashmir (2014) and Uttarakhand (2013) indicates this trend.

Demographic Challenges

• India’s current population is 1.34 billion and at the rate of growth of more than 1% per annum, it is estimated to reach 1.40 billion by 2022. As the resources – land, water, mineral and energy – are limited, the productivity of farms and the industries should be enhanced at the same rate.
• Given the investment and technology required to make it possible and India’s experience in recent years in doing so, it seems like a formidable task. We should also take note of the fact that, overcoming this challenge is of vital significance to reap demographic dividends as about two thirds of population is below the age of 35 years.

Infrastructure Bottlenecks

• To build New India by 2022 and to emerge as global leader , it is essential to have quality social and economic infrastructure. The country has made considerable progress on the infrastructure front in recent years. As per the Global Competitive Index – Infrastructure of the World Economic Forum (WEF), India’s rank has gone up from 81 in 2015-16 to 68 in 2016-17.
• However, this improvement is not sufficient and is far below the expectations of the ever-increasing population. The WEF report identified that – “inadequate supply of infrastructure” as one of the most problematic factors for doing business in India and thus in emergence of India as global leader in entrepreneurship.

Defence and Security

• India has been facing lot of security challenges from internal and external sources. Problems like – cross border terrorism, infiltration, border issues with China and Pakistan, separatist tendencies in the North East and Left Wing Extremism have been posing challenges to the national security.
• In view of China’s recent aggressive posture in Doklam standoff and nine-dash line in the South China Sea coupled with the encirclement strategy, and the One Belt One Road initiative and the associated China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is expected to pose major challenge to the Indian Defense establishment in the coming five years.
• The threats to cyber security and space security are also expected to increase in the coming years. The growing digitalization of the financial activities and organizational processes and the race for the supremacy in the space may pose serious security threats and warrant increased an allocation of financial and human resources in the coming five years.

Besides the above-mentioned challenges, issues like growing disparities in income, agriculture distress, regional development disparities and dependence on imports for energy needs are some of the other challenges before the government.

PRECONCLUSIVE ANALYSIS TO CONCLUSION

• The preparedness of society is a journey, not a mere destination. It is a process, which is geared on the energies of individuals. A process that brews on elemental successes and thrives on the spirit of excellence. With an increasingly dynamic and vibrant civil society to steer the boat through the sea of incessant storm, India should have no fear of surmounting the pinnacle.
• Effective tackling of social evils of society and demands of progressive legislations will help liberate us to a free uninhibited flight of potential. Permeation of education and building of a knowledge society are the stepping-stones to create a nation of unlimited opportunities.
• The need of the hour to lead the world is promote equality among citizens, enhance the dignity of individual,imptove the quality of decision making, Provide a method to resolve conflicts and all rooms to correct mistakes.
• Consolidating every aspect of the society by gearing them towards perfection and integrating their energies will make the global community sit up, notice and crown an able leader, worthy of being emulated and for this India needs not only a strong political leadership but also responsible citizenry who are committed to the aspirations of New India and contribute to help India emerge as global leader.