Independent India at 100th year will be world’s technological, economic powerhouse: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said independent India will be the world’s technological and economic powerhouse when it turns 100 years in 2047. Chairing the first ever meeting of sectoral experts to deliberate on Vision India @2047 from the governance perspective, organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), he said several initiatives, policies, schemes and programmes during the last seven years have given rise to a new era, in what has been described as the dawn of New India and the emergence of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, said that India in 2047 would have evolved beyond imagination.

“Not only are things moving fast, but the pace of this forward movement is much faster than ever before, which makes it very difficult to precisely visualise the exact shape of India that emerges 25 years from now,” the minister said. But one thing is certain, he said, that when independent India turns 100, it will be the world’s technological and economic powerhouse. Singh said, “As we formulate the vision for governance, one has to recognise that to bring citizens and government closer, digital institutions have to be created.” He said that adopting 21st century management practices represents a significant challenge for governments and it is with this objective that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on the ambitious Vision India@2047 initiative. Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15 last year, Singh said India’s “can do” generation can achieve every goal imaginable.

The minister pointed out that the government has tried to ensure digital infrastructure as a core utility to every citizen by providing unique digital identity, access to common service centres and has provided thousands of services on demand by seamless integration of services across departments and ministries. He said the unprecedented scale at which several programmes have been implemented like One Nation One Ration Card, e-Office, CPGRAMS, passport seva kendras, e-hospital reflects in the government’s willingness to adopt the ‘building to scale building to last’ approach where reforms are deep rooted and long lasting, according to a Personnel Ministry statement.

DARPG Secretary V Srinivas informed that in 2021, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances has strived to adopt the whole of government approach in implementing three critical campaigns aimed at deepening administrative reforms. The initiative for increasing efficiency in decision making envisaged reducing the channels of submission, financial delegation, operationalisation of e-Office version 7.0, digitisation of central registration units and operationalisation of desk officer system in all ministries and departments, the statement said. Some of the eminent sectoral experts who presented their views for India Vision @2047 included former Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar, former Central Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari and former ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan.