India @ 72 !! Where we stand today in the world, as a nation, and what should be our goal ahead ??

It has been 72 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 7-7.5% per annum range, the fastest growing among the major economies and have the potential to touch the growth rate of 8-9% per annum in near future. 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 had a highest life expectancy rate of 32 years age, now it has reached 70 years mark, which is a very good achievement. This is possible because of India’s continuous journey towards the development of health services. Let us take a look at some key sectors of the country's development and prosperity that is our economy, military power and foreign policy stands.

Economy

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Indian economy in 2019 (May) has crossed US$3 trillion mark making it the 5th-largest economy by market exchange rates, and at US$ 12.9 trillion, the third-largest in terms of purchasing power parity, or PPP. With its average annual GDP growth rate of around 6.4% over the past two decades, and reaching 7.9% during 2017-18, India is one of the world's fastest-growing economies. However, the country ranks 142nd in the world in nominal GDP per capita and 119th 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, 513.7-million-worker Indian labour force is the world's second-largest, as of 2016. 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 of US$70 billion in 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, jewellery, software, engineering goods, chemicals, and leather manufactures. Major imports include crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, 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.

Largest economies in the world in terms of PPP US $ as of March 2019, IMF record

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 left poverty since 1985; India's middle classes are projected to number around 580 million by 2030. Though ranking 51st in global competitiveness, 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 favourable 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. However, hardly 2% of Indians pay income taxes.

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, to an estimated US$1,723 in 2016, and is expected to grow to US$2,358 by 2020; however, it has remained lower than those of other Asian developing countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and is expected to remain so in the near future. However, it is higher than Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and others.

According to a 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 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 annualised 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 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 labour regulations, education, energy security, and public health and nutrition.

According to the Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2017 released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) which was created by comparing more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services, four of the cheapest cities were in India: Bangalore (3rd), Mumbai (5th), Chennai (5th) and New Delhi (8th).

Mumbai, India's commercial capital and one of world's advanced and fast developing cities

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 2028.

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

President Of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind

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 defence shield and, in collaboration with Russia, a fifth-generation fighter jet. Other indigenous military projects involve the design and implementation of Vikrant-class aircraft carriers and Arihant-class nuclear submarines.

Since the end of the Cold War, India has increased its economic, strategic, and military co-operation 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 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 co-operation 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 1.395 million active troops, they compose the world's second-largest military. It comprises the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Coast Guard. The official Indian defence budget for 2019 is US $ 66.5 billion, or 2.4% of GDP. According to a 2019 SIPRI report, India's annual military expenditure in terms of purchasing power stands at US $ 249.8 billion. This year, the annual defence budget increased by 6.6%, 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 defence against Pakistan and countering growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean. In May 2017, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched the South Asia Satellite, a gift from India to its neighbouring SAARC countries. On 10 April 2015, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris, it was announced that India would buy 36 Dassault Rafales in fly-away condition. The deal was finalised in November 2015. However, it got stalled for a considerable amount of time in terms of price negotiation. Finally, the deadlock has been resolved.

On 23 September 2016, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the contract for the purchase of 36 Rafales in a deal worth 7.8 billion Euros. The first Rafale warplanes are slated to be delivered roughly within three years of the signing of the deal. The first aircraft will be delivered to the IAF in 2019, with the full complement of aircraft to be delivered by 2022. In October 2018, India signed a US$5.43 billion (over Rs 400 billion) agreement with Russia to procure four S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile defence systems, Russia's most advanced long-range missile defence system.

Scientific Achievements

INDIA's Chandrayan-2 on board GSLV MK III at Satish Dhawan Space Centre 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. On 15th February, 2017, ISRO shocked the world by launching 104 satellites of both its own and foreign origin on a single PSLV C37 rocket !!! This was the thirty eighth consecutively successful mission of PSLV. The total weight of all the 104 satellites carried on-board PSLV-C37 was 1378 kg. !!! On 22nd July, 2019, from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, ISRO launched Chandrayan-2 successfully on board one of its heaviest rocket GSLV MK III, this launch and mission is special because India is going to be the first country in the world to land on the far side of moon, it is a daring and daunting task, earlier a failed attempt of Israel makes ISRO to be cautious. Chandrayan-2 as of latest news, has successfully completed all of its orbit manoeuvres around the earth and now it is preparing to be placed onto Moon’s orbit within 2 days and finally land on 20th August as per schedule. Chandrayan-2 has 3 parts on it, an orbiter, a lander called ‘Vikram’ and a rover called ‘Pragyan’ !!! We hope, our pride ISRO succeeds again on this daring mission just like they did in Mars mission. World is waiting for the news of its success.

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 offensive and 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. India equipped with an ICBM Agni-V having a range of around 8,000 km can wreck havoc far from its territory !! Agni-V ICBM is equipped with MiRV (Multiple Independent Re-Entry Vehicles) which means a single Agni-V ICBM can carry between 3-10 warheads each, making it one of the strongest ICBM’s in the world !!! Agni-V ICBM’s submarine launched version K-5 SLBM (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) is also under development and will be ready to deploy, on country’s future next generation follow-on Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN)’s after Arihant class, within next 2 years !!! K-5 SLBM will retain the same range with more lethal onboard computers, electronic systems and guidance kit along with better accuracy and speed !!! India’s own Nirbhay subsonic cruise missile has also successfully tested after so many failed attempts, and now DRDO is confident of developing more leaner and powerful versions of Nirbhay for Navy’s warships and submarines for land attack role, and there is also a chance that the Indian Air Force get a miniaturised version of it with having same range of 1,000km, making it a rare air launched cruise missile in the world of same calibre and range !!!

BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at display on Rajpath during India's Republic Day parade at Capital New Delhi

The Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme is an initiative to develop and deploy a multi-layered ballistic missile defence system to protect India from ballistic missile attacks.

Introduced in light of the ballistic missile threat from mainly Pakistan, as well as from China, it is a double-tiered system consisting of two land and sea-based interceptor missiles, namely the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile for lower altitude interception. The two-tiered shield should be able to intercept any incoming missile launched from 5,000 kilometres away. The system also includes an overlapping network of early warning and tracking radars, as well as command and control posts.

The PAD was tested in November 2006, followed by the AAD in December 2007. With the test of the PAD missile, India became the fourth country to have successfully developed an anti-ballistic missile system, after United States, Russia, and Israel. The system has undergone several tests and phase-1 of it declared officially commissioned and deployed on major cities.

Prithvi Defense Vehicle (PDV) and Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptors of India's Ballistic Missile Defense Program

Phase 1

Development of the anti-ballistic missile system began in 1999. Around 40 public and private companies were involved in the development of the systems. They include Ordnance Factory Board, Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics among others.

Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) developed the mission control software for the AAD missile. Research Centre, Imarat (RCI) developed navigation, electromechanical actuation systems and the active radar seeker. Advanced System Laboratory (ASL) provided the motors, jet vanes and structures for the AAD and PAD. High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) supplied the propellants for the missile.

It was reported on 23 April, 2019 that the Phase-1 of the program has been completed.

Phase 2

Two new anti ballistic missiles that can intercept IRBMs are being developed. These high speed missiles (AD-1 and AD-2) are being developed to intercept ballistic missiles with a range of around 5,000 km (3,100 mi). The test trials of these two systems were expected to take place in 2011. The new missile will be similar to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile deployed by the US. These missiles will travel at hypersonic speeds and will require radars with scan capability of over 1,500 km (930 mi) to successfully intercept the target. On 6 May 2012, Dr V K Saraswat while confirming the completion of Phase-I added that Phase-II would be completed by 2016 to protect against missiles having range up to 5000 km.

India is also planning to develop a laser based weapon system as part of its defence to intercept and destroy missiles soon after they are launched towards the country. DRDO's Air Defence Programme Director V K Saraswat says its ideal to destroy a ballistic missile carrying nuclear or conventional warheads in its boost phase. Saraswat further added that it will take another 10–15 years for the premier defence research institute to make it usable on the ground.

Indian ASAT (anti satellite) missile

On 27 March 2019, India announced that it had tested an Anti-satellite weapon in an operation codenamed Mission Shakti The target of the test was a satellite in Low Earth orbit, which was hit with a Kinetic kill vehicle. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on television, announcing the test.

The interceptor struck a test satellite at a 283-kilometre (176 mi) altitude in low earth orbit (LEO), thus making Mission Shakti a successful ASAT missile test. The interceptor was launched at around 05:40 UTC at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha and hit its target after 168 seconds. Microsat-R was the suspected target of the test. The missile system was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)—a research wing of the Indian defence services. With this test, India became the fourth nation after United States, Russia and China with proven anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities.

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!!