Introduction
Inclusive growth ensures that economic dividends are equitably distributed across all demographics and regions, fostering shared prosperity. While India lifted approximately 248 million people out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23 according to NITI Aayog, significant disparities remain, with the World Inequality Lab noting that the top 1% still holds around 40% of national wealth.
Major Obstacles to Inclusive Growth
- Sectoral and Agrarian Distress: Agriculture employs roughly 43% of the workforce (PLFS) but contributes under 18% to Gross Value Added (GVA), leading to structural stagnation and limiting upward mobility for the rural population.
- Regional Disparities: Industrial clustering and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) remain heavily concentrated in Southern and Western states, leaving states like Bihar and Jharkhand lagging behind on multidimensional poverty index (MPI) parameters.
- Human Capital Deficits and Digital Divide: Chronic underinvestment in public education and quality healthcare, combined with an uneven digital-literacy divide, restricts marginalized segments from participating in the modern knowledge- and service-driven economy.
- Gender Imbalances: Although the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (FLFPR) has risen towards 40%, women's employment remains predominantly concentrated in informal, low-wage, or unpaid agricultural labour.
Evaluation of Measures Taken
- Healthcare Security: Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) has contributed significantly to bringing down Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) from 62.6% in 2014 to 39.4% (Economic Survey 2024-25). However, it primarily addresses secondary and tertiary hospitalization, leaving prohibitive outpatient consultations and diagnostic expenses largely unaddressed.
- Financial Inclusion: Schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and PM MUDRA Yojana have universalized banking access and formalized credit delivery. Yet, substantive institutional credit flow to micro-enterprises and small or marginal farmers remains constrained by risk-averse lending practices.
- Employment and Skilling: The Skill India Mission and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes aim to absorb surplus labour into manufacturing. Nevertheless, a persistent mismatch between vocational training curricula and evolving industrial requirements is reflected in a youth NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) rate of around 25%.
- Basic Amenities and Rural Infrastructure: Targeted missions like Jal Jeevan Mission and PM Awas Yojana have demonstrated tangible success in expanding rural assets, ensuring clean tap water, and providing pucca housing, directly enhancing multidimensional living standards.
Conclusion
To realize the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, policy must transition from a welfare-centric model to a robust capacity-building framework. Expanding labor-intensive manufacturing, bridging urban-rural infrastructural fault lines, and deepening universal social safety nets are vital steps toward achieving genuine Sarvodaya.