New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has given India a renewed identity on the global stage. The Economic Survey 2025–26 presented in Parliament stands as a strong testament to the country’s development trajectory, demonstrating how the collective effort and determination of 1.4 billion Indians is steadily pushing India toward economic major-power status. Even amid global turbulence, controlled inflation and a resilient macroeconomic foundation signal that India’s future rests on firm ground. Improved balance sheets and a revival of private investment are enabling the country to set new benchmarks in manufacturing and innovation.
The India–European Union Free Trade Agreement, the digital revolution and wide-ranging economic reforms all reinforce this narrative. Yet, weak implementation in education, health and culture reveals that the central challenge today is no longer policy design, but institutional strength and execution capacity.
Since 2014, the transformation in India’s governance, economy and global standing has gone far beyond a mere change of government. It marked a shift in policy orientation, strategic vision and political style. Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the Union government has implemented social and economic reforms over the past decade whose impact is visible not only domestically but also across international platforms.
India is now widely viewed as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, a global model for digital public infrastructure and a decisive voice of the Global South. Institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, G20, the European Union and global investors have consistently praised India’s policy direction.
Alongside this optimistic picture, however, lies an uncomfortable reality. In core social sectors such as education, health and culture, policy execution remains uneven, weak and at times directionless. Key positions in ministries remain vacant for prolonged periods, state governments often show reluctance in implementing central schemes, and administrative capacity constraints are becoming increasingly evident.
The Modi government’s most defining achievements lie in its economic and structural reforms. The Goods and Services Tax transformed India into a unified national market and, despite initial challenges, is now counted among independent India’s most significant tax reforms. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code reshaped the banking system by providing an institutional mechanism to resolve long-pending bad loans.
Initiatives such as Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat strengthened the vision of positioning India not merely as a consumer market but as a global manufacturing hub. Clear progress is visible in defence production, electronics, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Digital India, Aadhaar-linked welfare delivery and UPI have brought governance directly into citizens’ hands, turning India’s digital public infrastructure into a global case study.
Among recent strategic decisions, the India–EU Free Trade Agreement represents a historic inflection point. The EU is the world’s largest integrated consumer market, and the agreement is expected to boost Indian exports, attract advanced technology and investment, and strengthen India’s role in global supply chains. It signals India’s ambition to move from being a rule-taker to a rule-maker.
Yet a critical question persists: is India’s education and skill ecosystem robust enough to fully capitalise on these opportunities?
The Swachh Bharat Mission has been recognised internationally as a model for public health and behavioural change. Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest government-funded health insurance scheme, is historic at the policy level. PM-Kisan, Jan Dhan and direct benefit transfers have reduced intermediaries and improved transparency. While the scale and design of these initiatives have drawn global attention, their real test lies in outcomes on the ground.
The National Education Policy 2020 is widely described as the most ambitious education reform since Independence. However, implementation challenges remain severe. Public spending on education is still below global benchmarks. Universities and education ministries face thousands of vacancies. Teacher training and research infrastructure remain weak, and states have shown uneven commitment to adopting central schemes. Initiatives such as PM SHRI schools appear strong on paper but fragile at the grassroots level.
Recent debates over UGC reservation and recruitment norms have further highlighted tensions. Reservation remains a constitutional pillar of social justice, but questions persist over whether academic quality is being compromised and whether delays in appointments are undermining teaching and research. India’s aspiration to build world-class universities will succeed only if social inclusion and academic excellence advance together.
The establishment of new AIIMS institutions across the country was a landmark decision. Yet many of these institutes suffer from incomplete faculty strength, acute shortages of specialist doctors and professors, and gaps in human resources. Buildings and equipment alone cannot sustain a healthcare system; doctors, nurses and researchers form its backbone.
While education and health programmes are largely implemented by state governments, several critical levers remain under central control. In recent years, the Union health minister’s parallel responsibility as BJP president shifted focus toward organisational and electoral priorities. Expectations now hinge on course correction. Meanwhile, allegations of corruption and systemic inefficiencies inherited from earlier eras continue to cast a shadow over education and healthcare delivery.
Indian culture—yoga and Ayurveda in particular—has earned global recognition. Domestically, however, the situation is troubling. Libraries, archives and museums remain neglected. Public libraries are steadily losing their role as knowledge centres. Schemes for artists, writers and researchers are weak and poorly implemented. Decisionmaking in the culture ministry is slow, constrained further by its linkage with the tourism portfolio. Reducing culture to festivals and international showcases poses long-term risks.
The Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation, the backbone of India’s public library system, has seen almost no new book procurement for government libraries over the past three years. The consequences are evident: libraries turning into abandoned structures, younger generations drifting away from books, and erosion of Indian languages, history and intellectual traditions. A knowledge-driven economy cannot coexist with empty libraries.
It raises concerns that the prime minister may not be receiving accurate or complete feedback. India’s federal structure remains central to development, yet political considerations often prevent states from implementing national schemes. Fiscal stress limits state capacity, while weak district- and block-level administration directly affects education and health outcomes. Senior posts remain vacant, state directorates lack expertise, and specialist appointments face chronic delays. When administrative machinery is incomplete, even the best policies deliver partial results.
The vision of a Viksit Bharat will be realised only when the ambition of policy is matched by administrative competence and when implementation becomes efficient, accountable and institutionally strong.
