{"id":9288,"date":"2025-12-09T09:12:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T09:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/?p=9288"},"modified":"2025-12-09T09:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T09:17:09","slug":"dr-akshay-kulkarni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/09\/dr-akshay-kulkarni\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr Akshay Kulkarni on Kumarappa\u2019s Vision for India\u2019s Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How India\u2019s Growth Model and path to achieving a developed nation status depends on J. C. Kumarappa\u2019s<\/strong> Economy of Permanence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

India\u2019s path to a developed, self-reliant economy by 2047 runs straight through its villages and its platform workers, in a way J. C. Kumarappa would instantly recognise. His Gandhian vision of decentralised, locally rooted production offers a powerful framework to align rural households, gig workers and welfare policy with the $5 trillion\u2013plus growth trajectory now projected for 2029 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J.C. Kumarappa argued for an \u201ceconomy of permanence\u201d built on renewable resources, small-scale industries and decentralised planning anchored in the village as a largely self-sufficient unit. He contended that when one fully accounts for public subsidies, environmental damage and social costs, large-scale, centralised industry often looks less efficient and less just than networks of local, labour\u2011intensive village industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Kumarappa, remunerative work for all was the first principle of economic governance, and village industries were the main instrument to secure employment, autonomy and dignity for the majority. This philosophy implies that India\u2019s growth strategy must consciously bias policy towards local production systems, circular use of resources and bottom\u2011up democracy if it wants prosperity to be durable rather than fragile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the village is the basic unit of planning, rural households become the decisive agents for self\u2011reliance and developed\u2011nation status. Kumarappa\u2019s emphasis on local markets and small industries points to a model where households are simultaneously producers, consumers and stewards of land and ecology, not passive welfare recipients. Strengthening rural incomes through diversified farm and non\u2011farm activity, producer collectives and local processing can raise productivity while cutting vulnerability to distant price shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a rural\u2011centred approach meshes with India\u2019s macro ambitions: sustaining 6\u20137 percent growth over decades will require continuous productivity gains outside a few metropolitan clusters and formal sectors. If rural households are equipped with infrastructure, credit, digital access and basic services, they can anchor domestic demand, supply agro\u2011based exports and reduce pressure on urban labour markets, all of which enhance self\u2011reliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reaching a $5 trillion GDP around 2029 is now seen as feasible, but structural headwinds could slow the climb to higher milestones.Persistent issues include labour\u2011market rigidities, land access problems and slow insolvency resolution, which together dampen investment, productivity and job creation. External risks\u2014from trade tensions to climate shocks\u2014further complicate long\u2011term planning for a large, open economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public welfare must therefore shift from fragmented schemes to a coherent, Kumarappa\u2011compatible architecture of capability building. That means prioritising universal basic services (health, education, nutrition, sanitation), portable social security, and targeted support for productive assets rather than pure consumption transfers.Well\u2011designed rural employment guarantees, livelihood missions and decentralized planning bodies can be aligned to create durable local infrastructure and enterprises instead of short\u2011term, low\u2011quality works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a 2047 developed\u2011economy horizon, the next transformative reforms arguably belong more in agriculture and allied activities than in headline\u2011grabbing sectors. Kumarappa\u2019s focus on the agrarian base underscores that without a resilient, remunerative farm economy, rural self\u2011reliance and ecological balance both erode. Modern challenges\u2014from fragmented landholdings to climate volatility and market power imbalances\u2014make this agenda even more urgent today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reforms should centre on three fronts: first, improving land and water productivity through investments in irrigation, climate\u2011resilient seeds and regenerative practices; second, deepening market reforms that genuinely strengthen farmer bargaining power via cooperatives, FPOs and transparent digital platforms; and third, driving value addition through rural agro\u2011processing, storage and logistics so that more value stays with producer households. If combined with strong rural education and health systems, such an agricultural turn would operationalise Kumarappa\u2019s economy of permanence, making India\u2019s march to self\u2011reliant developed\u2011nation status by 2047 both economically feasible and socially grounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Akshay Kulkarni<\/strong>
akshayvijaykulkarni@gmail.com<\/a><\/strong>
LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How India\u2019s Growth Model and path to achieving a developed nation status depends on J. C. Kumarappa\u2019s Economy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2007],"tags":[17964,17973,17960,17979,17975,17990,17998,17974,17972,17963,17953,17994,17983,18008,18004,17954,17985,17971,18002,17969,18003,17956,17992,17981,17962,17952,18001,17996,17955,17982,17976,17986,17995,17970,17993,17999,17957,17991,17987,17968,17984,17958,17959,17988,17978,18006,17965,17977,18009,18000,17966,17961,17997,17980,17967,18005,18007],"class_list":["post-9288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-achievement","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-5-trillion-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-agrarian-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-agricultural-reforms","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-agriculture-growth","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-agro-processing","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-circular-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-climate-adaptation","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-climate-resilience","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-cooperatives","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-decentralised-planning","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-developed-nation","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-development-model","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-digital-access","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-ecology-balance","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-economic-policy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-economy-of-permanence","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-employment-generation","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-farmer-empowerment","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-food-systems","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-fpos","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-gandhian-economics","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-gig-workers","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-green-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-inclusive-growth","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-india-2047","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-india-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-india-future","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-india-reforms","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-kumarappa","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-labour-reforms","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-macroeconomy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-micro-industries","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-productivity-boost","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-regenerative-farming","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-renewable-economy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-credit","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-development","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-education","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-entrepreneurship","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-growth","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-health","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-households","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-infrastructure","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-innovation","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-logistics","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-markets","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-productivity","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-strategy","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-transformation","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-rural-welfare","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-self-reliance","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-social-security","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-sustainable-growth","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-value-addition","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-village-industries","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-village-planning","tag-dr-akshay-kulkarni-welfare-reform"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9289,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9288\/revisions\/9289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehindustnexpress.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}