C P Radhakrishnan
When I was a young boy studying at School in Tiruppur, I had many dreams about our nation. Questions would constantly arise within me: When will Bharat regain its greatness? When will it rise as a powerful nation on the world stage? When will our poor and under privileged sisters and brothers get a life of dignity? I am happy to see that the thoughts that I had in my teenage years, are now becoming a reality.
I would often remind myself of Swami Vivekananda’s words: “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.” These words, proclaimed by Swamiji from the soil of Tamil Nadu, possess immense power to inspire patriotism and commitment in every individual.
I always believed that when Bharat’s full potential is unleashed, it would rise as a nation capable of guiding the entire world. Over the past decade, I’m pleased to see our country functioning with tremendous vigor and determination.
We now have the opportunity to witness before our own eyes the truth of Thiruvalluvar’s words: “Those who are steadfast in their determination will achieve exactly what they have envisioned”. We can see that our nation is progressing rapidly. During past decade, the progress achieved in Bharat has made the whole world turn and take notice.
At a time when economic slowdown and uncertainties prevail across the globe, Bharat’s economy is growing strongly and rapidly. The enthusiasm shared by both, the government and the people, to make this period an era of sustained development is the reason for this progress. From a fragile economy, now our country is the fourth largest economy and we are on way to soon become the world’s 3 rd largest economy. What is even more significant is, that our economic development has been inclusive.
In the last decade, almost 25 crore Bharatvasis have been able to come out of extreme poverty to lead a life of dignity. So far, around 4 crore permanent houses have been built for the homeless poor in Bharat. More than 12 crore people have been provided with piped drinking water connections. We aspired to become a nation free from open defecation and within just 60 months, the country made this possible for 60 crore people.
Under the Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan Scheme, 5 kilograms of food grains are being provided free of cost to 80 crore people every year at an expenditure of ₹2.3 lakh crores.
I have seen, from a young age, people in villages suffering because they were unable to access medical facilities. I used to feel sad witnessing the pain endured by their families. Today, the nation is implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme with a commitment to ensuring that health care facilities are accessible to everyone. As a result, more than 44 crore people are now having an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh under PM-Ayushman Bharat. In the past year alone, 2.5 crore people have received free medical treatment under this scheme.
Our farmers through their hard work, have produced 350 million tonnes of food grains, elevating Bharat to the position of the world’s second-largest food producer. Bharat has also grown to become the second-largest rice-producing country and is embracing the world through its exports. Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, over 4 lakh crore rupees have been directly transferred to theirbank accounts, so far.
Opportunities are now open for our Nari Shakti to fully contribute to the nation’s development. More than 3 crore women have become Lakhpati Didis and Namo Drone Didis. Women have come forward in every field, be it agriculture, education, medicine, science and technology or space technology. Women are now getting permanent commissions in the armed forces and are taking part in combat roles. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further enhance their participation in Parliament and State Legislatures.
While traveling across the country, when I meet the Lakhpati Didis, and Namo Drone Didis I see the light of hope shining on the faces of our sisters. To make the daily lives of women easier and with concern for their health, nearly 2 crore new LPG gas connections have been provided across the country.
When we see the younger generation coming forward with enthusiasm to for startups, it reminds us of the words of the patriotic poet Subramania Bharati: “Come, come, come and accomplish what you have envisioned; Let the whole nation rise in unity and prosper; Come, come, come and achieve a great deed.” For the youth, 13 new IITs have been established in the last ten years alone, bringing the total number of IITs to 23. The number of IIMs has also increased from 13 to 21. The number of AIIMS have tripled from 7 to 23, and medical colleges have more than doubled from 387 to 823. It is a matter of pride that the number of seats for medical students has increased from 51,348 to 129,603.
We are also advancing toward world-class standards in infrastructure facilities. The railways have been electrified to almost 99%. Across the country, 164 Vande Bharat Express trains have ushered a new era. The number of airports has also doubled from 74 to 163, and air travel has become accessible for ordinary people under UDAN.
The railway budget allocation for Tamil Nadu, which was around ₹880 crore a decade ago, has increased to ₹7,600 crore in 2026–27. In Tamil Nadu, it is a matter of joy that the new Pamban Bridge has been constructed between Rameswaram and Pamban, which is Bharat’s first vertical lift bridge, serving as an opportunity for spiritual tourism and economic development. Be it Chenab bridge in the J&K or Bogibeel bridge in Assam, Bharat is now marvelling in new age infrastructure.
Across the country, world-class four-lane and eight-lane roads, along with road connectivity extending even to remote villages, have been strongly developed for the growth of India. In Tamil Nadu, more than 4,000 kilometers of national highways have been constructed in the last 10 years. In the Northeastern states alone, national highways covering nearly 7,200 kilometers have been constructed over the last 10 years. These developments have been realized due to the close monitoring by the Prime Minister himself under PRAGATI.
The pre and post matric scholarship schemes and the Eklavya model residential schools have greatly benefitted students belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled Tribes respectively.
I have always believed that development should be inclusive not only of social groups, but also of regions. The border villages, which were once considered the last villages of Bharat, have now become the first villages and are being developed through the Vibrant Villages Scheme.
I happily recall the Prime Minister referring to the northeastern states as the nation’s Ashtalakshmi. Recently, when I visited the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim, I saw tremendous improvement in transportation facilities as well as infrastructure facilities.
The progress the country has achieved in science, technology and innovation, fills us with pride. From technology to medicine, every sector is showing rapid advancement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bharat took the lead in vaccine development efforts and ensured that vaccines were developed indigenously and made available free of cost to everyone at a very rapid pace. Bharat also provided vaccines to more than 100 countries across the world with humanitarian concern—actions that have earned a place in world history. The successful launch of Chandrayan 3 has catapulted Bharat into an era of advanced space exploration. In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), global companies are choosing Bharat as their hub, resulting in a manifold increase in investments. Bharat is now emerging as a model for the world in semiconductor manufacturing. We have also secured the second position in mobile phone production globally. We, who once imported mobile phones, have now grown into a country that exports mobile phones worth 300 crore US dollars. All these achievements will serve as the foundation for a prosperous future for the next generation.
For many decades, our country has faced not only the challenges of terrorism but also insurgency and Left-Wing Extremism. Through bold policy decisions and the upholding of law, peace prevails in the nation, and the doors of development have been opened in these areas.
We have set a goal that by 2047, that is, within a century of independence, Bharat should become a leading global power and reach a position of guiding the world. This era of hard work is the “Amrit Kaal.” Just as the thirst for freedom existed in heart of every freedom fighter, the thought of the nation’s development should now grow in the minds of today’s youth. In this Amrit Kaal, the thoughts and efforts of the youth should emerge with patriotism, as people of great ideals and character, then we will be able to witness a Viksit Bharat in 2047.
The words of Swami Vivekananda “My brothers, let us all work hard. This is not the time to sleep. The future of Bharat will depend on our efforts” show us both inspiration and direction.
Let us work together to create a Viksit Bharat through our hard work.
(The Author is Vice President of Bharat)
