<strong>India, a super power in 2020?</strong>
<em>"A developed India by 2020 or even earlier, is not a dream. It need not be a mere vision in the minds of many Indians. It is a mission we can all take up - and succeed." - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Late president of India/ Visionary)</em>
India joining the fleet of superpower countries by 2020 is no dream that Indians began seeing yesterday. The continued growth and development of the country is all focused on achieving this target. From being branded a "developing nation' to a "developed nation" is a long journey, but India certainly has taken it and there seems to be no indications of going back.
It all started when the late president of the country Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam asked a little girl what her dream was. She replied, "I want to live in a developed India". Like moth to a flame, the visionary took these words into his heart and even wrote a book titled "India 2020" that gave the present status of India and the steps it must take to realize this dream.
With less than 5 years to this deadline the actual question now is how far is India from realizing this dream?
The answer is, while India certainly is making remarkable progress and is right on track, it still needs to travel a long way before it can be branded a super power or at least a developed country. While a developed country and a super power are two entirely different terms, India is one country that shows tremendous potential to be both.
<strong>The To-do list to be a superpower!</strong>
Becoming a super power country is not something that can be done overnight, but then again, Rome wasn't built in a day either! According to current affairs, the United States of America is the only country that can be called a super power now. Its decisions influence other countries' decisions and this is in essence what a super power is.
To be a super power a country must have immense prowess in terms of
1. GDP
2. Military and Defense
3. Infrastructure
4. Education
5. Technology
6. Politics and demographics
So where does India stand right now in each of these categories?
<p><strong>1. GDP </strong>- The GDP for a country to qualify into even being screened for a super power is $1 trillion. The good news is India's GDP for the year 2015-2016 is $2.182 Trillion and it is only set to increase. But to be a super power, the Indian economy must come within the top 4 economies in the world. However India holds only the 7<sup>th</sup> spot in this list. To rise to the 3<sup>rd</sup> rank would mean India needs to advance at close to 10% growth rate. Even then, it is only set to achieve this by 2030. There are close to 600 million people working in the agricultural sector who are still below the poverty line. To elevate their statuses would mean India needs to really work together and ensure that agriculture, its chief focus, really does get the attention it deserves.</p>
The good news is, the current fiscal year is called the Goldilocks year for India with GDP set at 7.2% with high growth and low inflation rates. Further with increasing alliances being formed by the Prime Minister of India with countries across the world, India is setting up a giant catapult that may actually help realize the target.
<p><strong>2. Military </strong>- The Indian Military is in no way looked down upon. The defense and military of India is something that every Indian must be proud of. Right from counter acting to terrorist threats like the Mumbai terror episodes, to crossfire in the border, the country is constantly busy holding its fort. Also having an arsenal of its own nuclear technology, gives India a great plus point. The latest news is that India has successfully purchased the SF ballistic missile from Russia which is considered the crowning jewel of air defenses. With these kinds of advancements, the Indian military and defense is certainly making sound progress.</p>
<p><strong>3. Infrastructure </strong>- While the Indian infrastructure scenario is not really at its peak performance, the country is certainly roping in quiet a lot of help from other countries. The Prime Minister's visit to the Silicon Valley did give quiet a lot of investment and infrastructure promises. With Facebook getting set to empower 500 odd railway stations with Wireless connectivity and the Make in India campaigns building momentum, it looks like India is making up for its lost time in focusing on Infrastructure.</p>
<p><strong>4. Education</strong> - From time immemorial, Indians have always focused on education and knowledge. Perhaps very few know that India is the home to the oldest universities in the world- the Nalanda and Taxila.Thanks to the visionary leaders of modern India, education has remained at the forefronts of focuses. To be regarded as a super power a country should have decent population that is educated and healthy. In terms of education India has a literacy rate of 74.4% and this is set to rise by 2020.</p>
<p><strong>5. Technology </strong>- With rapid technological advancements, not just in military but in other spheres as well, India shows great promise. Its mars exploration missions and successful implementation of cryogenic technologies has put it in the forefronts of space exploration and missions. Coming to innovations, India is now seeing a boom in the startup trend similar to the U.S where youngsters are giving wings to their dreams.</p>
<p><strong>6. Politics and Demographics </strong>- India is considered as one of the biggest democracies in the world. With cultural and regional diversity being this innate, India has not had any problems in working together as one. Cultural barriers are nonexistent as progress is peaceful thanks to the many number of social parties working together in hope of creating a better India.</p>
Thus it can be seen that though India is more than halfway down the race to be a superpower, it still needs to do tremendous work to reach its destination. But given the pace at which Things are going India is sure to become a fully developed nation by 2020 and a super power by 2030.
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