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Productivity, not just growth, for Viksit Bharat: A timeline of pivotal markers
The article argues that India’s strong growth must be accompanied by faster productivity, with manufacturing as a core driver. It highlights structural challenges, such as small, low-productivity firms and zombie firms, and notes findings from the Economic Survey 2025-26 and related research. The timeline references key milestones and publications shaping the policy discourse toward a manufacturing-led Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Why It Matters
A shift toward higher productivity and a healthier business dynamism is essential to sustain growth and achieve long-term development goals, including the 2047 Viksit Bharat vision.
Timeline
4 Events
May 15, 2026: Article on productivity and Viksit Bharat published
May 15, 2026
The article Productivity, not just growth, for Viksit Bharat is published, arguing for a manufacturing-led strategy that improves productivity, simplifies regulations, strengthens insolvency processes, eases credit allocation, and enables the exit of inefficient firms. It also references related studies on heat stress and productivity and cites the need for reforms to support sustained growth.
February 2026: Economic Survey 2025-26 emphasizes manufacturing as growth anchor
February 2026
The Economic Survey 2025-26 reinforces that manufacturing must anchor the next phase of growth, and calls for boosting productivity through deeper structural reforms to scale and improve efficiency.
March 31, 2025: FY2024-25 real GDP growth at 6.5%
March 31, 2025
India’s real GDP growth for FY2024-25 reached 6.5%, signaling robust growth and macroeconomic stability.
2025: Zombie Firms in Emerging Markets study highlights risks
2025
The paper Zombie Firms in Emerging Markets: Survival and Funding Mechanisms (2025) notes that zombie firms, though a small share of firms, account for a disproportionately large share of debt and assets; bank-financed firms are more prone to zombification, and weak business dynamism hinders efficient resource reallocation.