India At 70: Where we stand as a nation now.

It has been 70 years since India got independence from the British empire, it had passed through several ups and downs but it had managed to stand strongly at the international level as a proud country. Immediately after independence it had faced a huge economic crisis, poverty, unemployment, food shortages and lack of health facility. But today in almost every field, India is self-reliant and strong enough to look after its citizens. India is an economic powerhouse now, its economy is growing at a pace of 7.5% per annum, the fastest growing among the major economies. It is self-reliant in food production, and at several sectors of food production, it is even world's foremost power. India has improved its health system rapidly, while by 1951 it has a highest life expectancy rate of 32 years age now it has reached 67 which is a very good achievement. This is possible because of Indias continuous journey towards the development of health services. Let us take a look at two main sectors of the country's development and prosperity that is economy and military power and foreign relations.

Economy

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Indian economy in 2017 (June) was nominally at US$2.8 trillion; which is the 6th-largest economy by market exchange rates, and at US$8.9 trillion, the third-largest in terms of purchasing power parity, or PPP. With its average annual GDP growth rate of around 5.8% over the past two decades, and reaching 6.1% during 2011-12, India is one of the world's fastest-growing economies. However, the country ranks 140th in the world in nominal GDP per capita and 129th in GDP per capita at PPP. Until 1991, the country followed highly restrictive protectionist policies that were influenced by the socialist model. Widespread state intervention and regulation largely walled the economy from the outside world. An acute balance of payments crisis in 1991 forced the nation to liberalize its economy; since then it has slowly moved towards a free-market system by emphasizing both foreign trade and direct investment inflows. India's recent economic model is largely capitalist. India has been a member of WTO since 1 January 1995.

As of 2011, the 486.6-million workforce is the world's second-largest in the world. The service sector makes up 55.6% of GDP, the industrial sector 26.3%, and the agricultural sector 18.1%. India's foreign exchange remittances were US$70 billion in the year 2014, the largest in the world, contributed to its economy by 25 million Indians working in foreign countries. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, and potatoes. Major industries include textiles, telecommunications, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food processing, steel, transport equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, and software. In 2006, the share of external trade in India's GDP stood at 24%, up from 6% in 1985. In 2008, India's share of world trade was 1.68%; In 2011, India was the world's tenth-largest importer and the nineteenth largest exporter. Major exports include petroleum products, textile goods, jewelry, software, engineering goods, chemicals, and leather manufactures. Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, and chemicals. Between 2001 and 2011, the contribution of petrochemical and engineering goods to total exports grew from 14% to 42%. India was the second largest textile exporter after China in the world in the calendar year 2013.

Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India. It is also one of the world's top ten centers of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 5% of India's GDP.

Averaging an economic growth rate of 7.5% for several years prior to 2007, India has more than doubled its hourly wage rates during the first decade of the 21st century. Some 431 million Indians have been uplifted from the poverty line since 1985; India's middle class is projected to number around 580 million by 2030 which is larger than the population of several major countries. Though ranking 51st in the global competitive index, India ranks 17th in financial market sophistication, 24th in the banking sector, 44th in business sophistication, and 39th in innovation, ahead of several advanced economies, as of 2010. With 7 of the world's top 15 information technology outsourcing companies based in India, the country is viewed as the second-most favorable outsourcing destination after the United States, as of 2009. India's consumer market, the world's eleventh-largest, is expected to become fifth-largest by 2030.

Driven by growth, India's nominal GDP per capita has steadily increased from US$329 in 1991, when economic liberalisation began, to US$1,265 in 2010, and is estimated to increase to US$2,110 by 2016; however, it has remained lower than those of other Asian developing countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and even Sri Lanka, and is expected to remain so in the near future. However, it is higher than Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and others Asian economies.

According to a 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers report, India's GDP at purchasing power parity could overtake that of the United States by 2045. During the next four decades, Indian GDP is expected to grow at an annualized average of 8%, making it potentially the world's fastest-growing major economy until 2050. The report highlights key growth factors: a young and rapidly growing working-age population; growth in the manufacturing sector because of rising education and engineering skill levels; and sustained the growth of the consumer market driven by a rapidly growing middle class. The World Bank cautions that, for India to achieve its economic potential, it must continue to focus on public sector reform, transport infrastructure, agricultural and rural development, removal of labor regulations, education, energy security, and public health and nutrition.

In 2016, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released Top 10 cheapest cities in the world which 4 of it were from India: Bangalore (2nd), Mumbai (3rd), Chennai (6th) and New Delhi (8th) based on the cost of 160 products and services, which is a matter of pride for every Indians.

Military Power and Foreign Relations

Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relations with most nations. In the 1950s, it strongly supported decolonisation in Africa and Asia and played a lead role in the Non-Aligned Movement. In the late 1980s, the Indian military twice intervened abroad at the invitation of neighboring countries: a peace-keeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990; and an armed intervention to prevent a 1988 coup d'état attempt in Maldives. India has tense relations with neighboring Pakistan; the two nations have gone to war four times: in 1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999. Three of these wars were fought over the disputed territory of Kashmir, while the fourth, the 1971 war, followed from India's support for the independence of Bangladesh. After waging the 1962Sino-Indian War and the 1965 war with Pakistan, India pursued close military and economic ties with the Soviet Union; by the late 1960s, the Soviet Union was its largest arms supplier.

Aside from ongoing strategic relations with Russia, India has a wide-ranging defense relationship with both Israel and France. In recent years, it has played key roles in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the WTO. The nation has provided 100,000 military and police personnel to serve in 35 UN peacekeeping missions across four continents. It has participated in the East Asia Summit, the G8+5, and other multilateral forums. India has close economic ties with South America, Asia, and Africa; it pursues a "Look East" policy that seeks to strengthen partnerships with the ASEAN nations, Japan, and South Korea that revolve around many issues, but especially those involving economic investment and regional security.

INS Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy's biggest warship

China's nuclear test of 1964, as well as its repeated threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the 1965 war, convinced India to develop nuclear weapons. India conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1974 and carried out further underground testing in 1998. Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has signed neither the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty nor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, considering both to be flawed and discriminatory. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy and is developing a nuclear triad capability as a part of its "minimum credible deterrence" doctrine. It is developing a ballistic missile defense shield and, in collaboration with Russia, a fifth-generation fighter jet. Other indigenous military projects involve the design and implementation ofVikrant-class aircraft carriers and Arihant-class nuclear submarines.

Since the end of the Cold War, India has increased its economic, strategic, and military cooperation with the United States and the European Union. In 2008, a civilian nuclear agreement was signed between India and the United States. Although India possessed nuclear weapons at the time and was not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it received waivers from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, ending earlier restrictions on India's nuclear technology and commerce. As a consequence, India became the sixth de facto nuclear weapons state. India subsequently signed cooperation agreements involving civilian nuclear energy with Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The President of India is the supreme commander of the nation's armed forces; with 1.325 million active troops, they compose the world's third-largest military. It comprises the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force; auxiliary organizations include the Strategic Forces Command and three paramilitary groups: the Assam Rifles, the Special Frontier Force, and the Indian Coast Guard. The official Indian defense budget for 2011 was US$36.03 billion, or 1.83% of GDP. For the fiscal year spanning 20122013, US$40.44 billion was budgeted. According to a 2008 SIPRI report, India's annual military expenditure in terms of purchasing power stood at US$72.7 billion which was US$110 billion in last year. In 2011, the annual defense budget increased by 11.6%, although this does not include funds that reach the military through other branches of government. As of 2012, India is the world's largest arms importer; between 2007 and 2011, it accounted for 10% of funds spent on international arms purchases. Much of the military expenditure was focused on defense against Pakistan and countering growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean.

According to globalfirepower.com, India is the fourth most powerful military on the planet after the United States, Russia and China. It has embarked on an ambitious military modernisation plan with an expected spending of over 250 billion US $ over the next 10 years, this is a massive spending on military in history. Although a large portion of its military equipment is outdated today and need to be replaced soon. The Government of India is trying its best to remove those weapons at the earliest but it is very difficult for an emerging economy like India to afford a large-scale military modernisation within a very short time span. However, with the gradual rise of Indias economy at an average growth rate of 8% over the next decade, it will be easy for India to increase its defense budget rapidly at least 11-12% year on year over the next decade which will ease the modernisation process of its armed forces. Indias Navy and Air Force is poised to be one of the largest Naval and Air Forces in the world in future which will pave the way for India to gradually increase its footprints in several parts of the world like a true Super Power.

Scientific Achievements

INDIA's Pollar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at Srihorikota Launchpad of ISRO

Independent India has taken confident strides in its road to scientific development. Its prowess is being manifested in a gradual scaling up of ambitious projects. India takes pride in its space programmes, which began with the launch of its first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975. Since then, India has emerged as a space power that has successfully launched foreign satellites. Its first mission to Mars was launched in November 2013 which successfully reached the planet’s orbit on 24 September 2014.

Agni-III IRBM & Agni-V ICBM, two of the India's Long Range Ballistic Missiles that has a range between 3,500-8,000km

India is also aggressively pursuing both nuclear and missile programs. That has simultaneously augmented the country’s ?defence strength as well. BrahMos inducted into the defence system is the world’s fastest cruise missile that has been jointly developed by India and Russia. After more than seven decades of independence, India has now come closer to being an independent force to reckon with in the field of nuclear and missile technology.

Conclusion

As Indians, we will obviously hope the best and a bright future of our nation. We must unite together and strive to contribute for the betterment of the nation in all spheres of activity. As much as the Indian economy grows, our armed forces will become stronger, thus enhancing our security, and the quality of our lives will also improve substantially. The government and the people of India must come together to build a stronger and more prosperous considering our journey to the status of being a global superpower is still work-in-progress.

For any country, its journey into the future is influenced by the journey of its past, and therefore, it’s important for the present generation to know and recognize the sacrifices that our forefathers made for the freedom that we take for granted! JAI HIND!!