India 2047

From the foreword: “...kudos to Bibek Debroy and Niti Aayog for finding this very appropriate and distinctive forum to elicit the views of those who will matter the most: the young. William Faulkner famously said “The past is not dead; it is not even past.” Midnight’s great grandchildren and their children, in whose hands and minds lies India’s destiny, vehemently disagree.” — Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India

The National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog, is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. Niti Aayog has an initiative known as the Young Professionals (YPs) programme. Some YPs join Niti Aayog immediately after completing higher education others have a few years of experience and come from a diverse and varied background (in terms of region, ethnicity, gender, caste and religion). 20 YPs were invited to write brief essays on what they would like India to be like in 2047, focusing on what interested them personally and individually. This volume is the result, reflecting the voices of the young. A ubiquitous strand of bullishness and optimism runs through all the essays; there are also concerns about equity and injustice. Though this is no more than a wish list, everyone agrees that India in 2047 will be different, in ways that one can’t even begin to imagine.