Human Capital for Viksit Bharat

Recently, the Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries, chaired by the Prime Minister, adopted a coordinated national framework to strengthen human capital as the foundation of Viksit Bharat.

Key Highlights of the Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries

• Strategic Governance & Policy Roadmap:
  • Ten-Year Actionable Plans: All States and Union Territories (UTs) were directed to formulate a ten-year roadmap with specific, measurable targets for years 1, 2, 5, and 10.
  • State-Level PRAGATI: To expedite infrastructure projects, States were urged to establish their own versions of the Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) platform for real-time monitoring.
  • Administrative Reform: The Prime Minister suggested that video conferences for District Collectors should be limited to two hours per week to ensure they spend more time on field visits and grassroots administration.
  • Data Strategy Units: Chief Secretaries were advised to set up Data Strategy Units and Deregulation Cells to simplify business processes and enhance the “Ease of Doing Business.”
• Manufacturing & Economic Self-Reliance:
  • National Manufacturing Mission (NMM): The PM announced the upcoming launch of the National Manufacturing Mission, calling on states to build the necessary infrastructure to attract global investors.
  • Aatmanirbharta (Self-Reliance): The Centre and States will jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to significantly reduce India’s import dependency.
  • Quality Standards: A renewed emphasis was placed on the “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” (ZED) model, ensuring Indian-made products meet global quality standards with zero environmental impact.
  • Services Sector: Beyond Information Technology (IT), states were encouraged to expand into Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in healthcare, transport, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Human Capital & Sports Development:
  • Education & Skilling: The conference focused on strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and mapping workforce skills to meet global market demands.
  • 2036 Olympic Roadmap: In preparation for India’s bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the PM emphasized aligning the national sports calendar with global standards and scouting district-level talent.
  • Tourism as an Employer: Every state was tasked with developing at least one world-class tourist destination to drive youth employment and local entrepreneurship.
• Innovation, Culture & Agriculture:
  • Gyan Bharatam Mission: A new initiative was proposed for the digitization of ancient manuscripts, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to synthesize historical knowledge for modern applications.
  • AgriStack: Implementation of the AgriStack (a digital foundation for agriculture) was prioritized to create smart supply chains and improve market access for farmers.
  • Ayush Integration: States were encouraged to integrate Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (Ayush) systems into the primary healthcare delivery network.
• Security & Internal Affairs:
  • Post-LWE Strategy: Following the success in reducing domestic threats, sessions were held to develop administrative and developmental plans for a future free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

About Viksit Bharat

• A National Vision: Viksit Bharat is the national roadmap to transform India into a developed nation by 2047, marking 100 years of Independence. 
• Constitutional Ethos: The vision is constitutionally anchored in Article 38 of the Directive Principles, which mandates the State to promote a welfare-oriented social order, and is globally aligned with SDG-8 (Decent Work and Inclusive Growth).
• Economic Ambition and Scale: The core objective is to transform India into a $30-trillion developed economy within two decades, catering to a projected population of 1.65 billion, while sustaining high growth, productivity, and resilience.
• Demographic Opportunity: With nearly 70% of the population in the working-age group, India stands at a critical juncture. 
  • The defining challenge of Amrit Kaal is converting the demographic dividend into productive, skilled, and innovative human capital, rather than allowing it to become a demographic liability.
• Inclusive Growth Framework: The Viksit Bharat vision emphasises inclusive and sustainable growth, encompassing:
  • Ease of Living and Doing Business
  • World-class Infrastructure
  • Social Welfare and Equity
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Together, these pillars aim to ensure that economic transformation is broad-based, equitable, and future-ready, rather than enclave-driven.
• Four Pillars: Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahila (Women) and Kisan (Farmers).
• Key Theme of Viksit Bharat:
  • Empowered Indians (Health, Education, Nari Shakti, Sports, Culture and Caring Society)
  • Thriving and Sustainable Economy (Industry, Energy, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Services, Green Economy and Cities)
  • Innovation, Science and Technology (Research and Development, Startups and Digital)
  • Good Governance and Security
  • India in the World
• Key Focus Areas:
  • Education: Upgrading school infrastructure, boosting the number of students attending schools, and elevating educational standards.
  • Healthcare: Guaranteeing that every citizen has access to healthcare services that are both reachable and of high quality.
  • Technology: Adopting and pioneering technological solutions for national advancement.
  • Infrastructure: Building strong infrastructure such as for transportation, communication networks, and city facilities.
  • Agriculture: Introducing advanced agricultural practices and providing support to farmers to augment their output and productivity.
  • Environment: Advancing eco-friendly methods and safeguarding our natural assets to ensure the environment is both clean and thriving for future generations.
• Key Metrics for 2047 Success:
  • Human Development: Achieving a Very High HDI rank (above 0.800) by 2047, up from the current 0.685 (rank 130).
  • Gender Parity: Closing the economic participation gap to reach top 50 global status, rising from the current rank of 131.
  • Economic Formalization: Reducing the informal workforce from 90% to below 30% through social security integration and MSME formalization.

Need to Develop Human Resources for Viksit Bharat

Human Resource Development refers to the systematic approach to nurturing and fostering the talents, competencies, and skills of individuals, thereby contributing to national development. 

• Demographic Opportunity & Risk: With nearly 70% of the population in the working-age group, India is at a historic crossroads. Without quality education, skilling, and healthcare, the demographic dividend may turn into a demographic burden marked by underemployment.
• Economic Transformation: Investment in education, skills, and health is the key to transforming human capital into a $30-trillion economy, making people the primary engine of growth.
• Future of Work Readiness: The global economy is undergoing a Twin Transition (Digital & Green). HRD must move beyond rote learning towards high-order cognitive skills, digital skills, and green skills aligned with AI, Industry 4.0, and clean technologies.
• Adaptability & Lifelong Learning: Strong HRD systems promote agility, reskilling, and lifelong learning, enabling the workforce to remain relevant amid rapid job transitions.
• Inclusive & Equitable Growth: A Viksit Bharat must be inclusive and guided by Antyodaya. Targeted HRD helps reduce gender disparities, regional inequalities, and labour market informality.
• Social Mobility & Cohesion: Equal access to education, training, and healthcare enhances productivity, social mobility, and social cohesion, ensuring growth improves living standards for all.
• Global Competitiveness: A skilled and healthy workforce acts as a strategic magnet for FDI, strengthens India’s role in Global Value Chains (GVCs), and supports a world-class startup ecosystem.
• Knowledge Leadership: HRD is central to India’s aspiration of becoming a Global Services and Innovation Hub, exporting high-value skills, intellectual property, and innovation.
• Governance & Stability: Educated and healthy citizens strengthen institutional capacity, improve democratic participation, and enable effective use of digital governance platforms.
• Constitutional Mandate: Investment in people fulfills Article 38, reinforcing the welfare-state vision and ensuring long-term national stability through shared prosperity.

Ways to Develop Human Resources for Viksit Bharat

• Transforming Education and Skill Development: The education system must shift its priority from memorization to practical application and 21st-century competencies.
  • Project-Based Learning: India can adopt cues from Finland’s education model, where phenomenal-based learning fosters a culture of creativity and critical thinking rather than rote testing.
  • Industry-Academia Collaboration: Symbiotic relationships, such as the IIT Madras Research Park, allow theoretical learning to meet practical demands, directly enhancing student employability.
  • Continuous Professional Development: Following Singapore’s integrated system, teachers should be encouraged to engage in lifelong learning and 100 hours of annual training to adapt to evolving educational landscapes.
  • Vocational Integration: Emulating Germany’s Dual Vocational Training, India can implement “Skill Festivals” and fairs to provide platforms for youth to exhibit vocational skills and explore diverse career avenues.
• Health, Wellbeing, and Nutritional Security: A productive workforce is built on a foundation of robust physical and mental health.
  • Affordable Quality Healthcare: Expanding infrastructure to ensure universal access, while leveraging technology through Telemedicine (as successfully demonstrated by Kerala during COVID-19) to bridge the rural-urban healthcare gap.
  • Addressing Malnutrition: Initiatives like the Amma Unavagam (Community Kitchens) in Tamil Nadu serve as a stellar model for addressing urban hunger and malnutrition while supporting local farmers and providing jobs for women.
  • Preventative Focus: Strengthening the Ayushman Bharat ecosystem to focus on wellness and early diagnosis of lifestyle diseases.
• Research, Innovation, and Technology Adoption: To become a “Knowledge Superpower,” India must invest heavily in R&D and digital infrastructure.
  • Strengthening R&D Ecosystems: The establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) aims to drive innovation by fostering deep ties between academia, industry, and government agencies like ISRO.
  • Incubation Centres: Success stories from hubs like IIT Bombay’s SINE signify the power of fostering innovation at the institutional level to promote indigenous research and startups.
  • Bridging the Digital Divide: Mobile education units, such as the Digital Bus project in Maharashtra, showcase how technology can be taken directly to underserved communities to promote digital literacy.
• Gender Equality and Social Inclusion: Human resource development is only complete when it is inclusive across genders and social strata.
  • Mentorship Programs: Implementing models like WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) to provide structured mentorship for women, fostering their presence in high-growth STEM professional spheres.
  • Inclusive Schemes: Utilizing the Samagra Shiksha Scheme to provide quality education in Madrasas and the Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutes (IDMI) to ensure no community is left behind.
  • Women-Led Initiatives: Expanding the WEST (Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology) initiative to support women researchers and entrepreneurs in the scientific ecosystem.
• Leveraging Government Frameworks: The Government of India has institutionalized several “missions” to streamline human development:
  • Skill & Workforce Enhancement: Extending programs like PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the SHREYAS Scheme to offer industry-specific certifications and apprenticeships.
  • Foundational Missions: Strengthening the Mid-Day Meal Scheme (PM-POSHAN) and the National Achievement Survey (NAS) to monitor and improve the quality of school education.
  • Social Security: Reinforcing the welfare-state vision through the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) to provide a safety net for the workforce.
• Addressing the “Missing Middle” in Skills: While frontier technologies like AI and Green Tech are vital, the foundation of human capital lies in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). 
  • High enrollment often masks low learning outcomes. India must prioritize quality primary education alongside high-end R&D to build a cognitively strong and skilled workforce.
• Tech-Led Governance- The Human-AI Frontier:
  • Human-Centered AI in Governance: The 2025 Chief Secretaries’ Conference marked a shift from technology as a “tool” to technology as the “architecture” of governance. The focus is on “Safe and Trusted AI” that balances innovation with accountability.
  • Opportunities & Modernization: The Gyan Bharatam Mission serves as a prime example, using AI to synthesize ancient wisdom into modern knowledge systems. 
    • Similarly, AgriStack is transforming agriculture into a smart supply-chain ecosystem, ensuring data-driven market access for farmers.
  • Mitigating Risks: The governance roadmap for 2025-26 prioritizes “Understandable by Design” systems to tackle deepfakes, algorithmic bias in welfare distribution, and cybersecurity threats, ensuring digital transformation remains inclusive.
  • The Global Twin Transition: India is positioning itself to lead the “Twin Transition”—leveraging AI and digital infrastructure to drive Green Sustainability (Net-Zero goals) alongside economic growth.

Challenges that need to be addressed to achieve Inclusive Viksit Bharat

• Navigating Demographic Shifts & Human Development: India’s “demographic dividend” is a time-bound opportunity. The challenge lies in the changing structure of the population and the quality of life.
  • The Ageing Transition: In 2025, 33% of India’s population is aged 20–29. However, by 2047, the proportion of younger (20–29) and older working-age populations will both equalize at around 28%. Human Development Index (HDI) Stagnation: India currently ranks 130th out of 193 countries on the United Nations HDI (2025 Report). 
    • With an HDI value of 0.685, India remains in the medium human development category, reflecting persistent gaps in health and life expectancy (currently ~72 years) compared to global peers.
  • Bridging Urban-Rural and Regional Divide: Significant regional asymmetries persist; states like Kerala excel, while others lag in healthcare and education. 
    • A flexible, state-specific approach is needed to make Viksit Bharat geographically inclusive and reduce developmental gaps.
• The Gender Parity and Workforce Paradox: Inclusive growth is impossible while a massive gender gap limits the nation’s productive capacity.
  • Global Ranking: India ranks 131st out of 148 nations in the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, falling two spots due to declining political empowerment and economic opportunity.
  • Labour Force Participation (LFPR): As of the latest monthly data from late 2025, the overall Female LFPR has reached approximately 35.1%, while the Male LFPR stands at 77.2%.
• Youth Employment & Education–Skills Gap: While employment quantity is rising, the quality of jobs and employability remains a major bottleneck, with graduate employability at 54.8% (India Skills Report 2025) and a persistent 30–40% skill mismatch (ILO).
  • Educated Unemployment: The graduate unemployment rate (29.1%) is nearly nine times higher than that of the illiterate (3.4%), reflecting a degree–job mismatch; the crisis is more severe for educated young women, with unemployment reaching 21.4%.
  • Concentrated Unemployment: Youth (15–29 years) constitute 82.9% of India’s unemployed, while the educated youth share among the unemployed has remained high at 65.7%, indicating white-collar job saturation.
  • Skill Mismatch: Workforce mapping often lags behind rapidly evolving global requirements, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and green technologies.
  • Value Creation Gap: Despite having 17.5% of the world’s population, India generates only 3% of global research output, indicating that the education–skill ecosystem largely prepares graduates for service and maintenance roles, not innovation and frontier research.
• Strategic Governance & Policy Roadmap: 
  • Implementation Deficit: Ten-Year Action Plans risk remaining aspirational due to weak translation into district-level execution and uneven state administrative capacity (Centre-State Asymmetry).
  • Data & Digital Readiness: Newly proposed Data Strategy Units face acute shortages of skilled personnel and interoperable datasets, constraining evidence-based policymaking.
  • Bureaucratic Inertia: Administrative reforms, such as limiting video calls for Collectors, encounter resistance from entrenched procedures and a compliance-heavy governance culture.
• Manufacturing, Innovation & Economic Self-Reliance:
  • Infrastructure Constraints: Inadequate availability of industrial land, weak multimodal logistics, and uneven state capacity undermine the effectiveness of the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
  • Cost of Compliance: Adoption of the Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) framework raises short-term compliance costs for MSMEs, risking their exclusion from Global Value Chains (GVCs) without targeted fiscal and credit support.
  • Innovation Gaps: Weak industry–academia collaboration and the digital divide—visible in initiatives like AgriStack—may marginalize small farmers due to low digital literacy and data privacy concerns.
• Beyond Assembly – Domestic IP Creation: Although India ranks 6th globally in total patent filings, it stands only 47th in resident patent applications per million population, reflecting dependence on foreign-owned innovation.
  • Nuancing the R&D Ecosystem: The gap between total patent filings and resident filings highlights the need to align innovation policy with manufacturing goals. The National IPR Policy must integrate with the National Manufacturing Mission, shifting from “Make in India” (assembly) to “Design in India” (ownership).
  • Private Sector Challenge: The private sector contributes only 36.4% of India’s R&D expenditure, compared to over 70% in developed economies, limiting industry-driven innovation.
• Human Capital, Health & Security: 
  • ECCE and Health Gaps: Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Ayush integration into primary health faces challenges of teacher quality, standardization, and trained manpower.
  • Post-LWE Transition: Following the decline of Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the transition from security-centric to development-centric governance in affected districts faces a trust deficit and lack of private investment.
  • Sports Ecosystem: The 2036 Olympic Roadmap is constrained by a lack of district-level sports infrastructure and limited sports science support.

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Way Forward

• Strengthening Cooperative Federalism and Governance: Building a developed nation requires a seamless bridge between central vision and local execution.
  • Institutional Coordination: Formalize Centre–State coordination through regular Chief Secretary Conferences and outcome-based monitoring. This helps bridge the institutional asymmetry between advanced and lagging states.
  • Result-Oriented Implementation of Ten-Year Plans: Operationalize Ten-Year Action Plans with clear, measurable targets at the state, district, and block levels to ensure accountability.
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Expand State-Level PRAGATI platforms for project tracking and empower Data Strategy Units with skilled data scientists to enable evidence-based policymaking.
  • Administrative Reform: Reduce bureaucratic inertia by empowering field officers, such as limiting video conferences for District Collectors to encourage more grassroots administration.
• Inclusive Manufacturing and Economic Self-Reliance: The transition to a $30 trillion economy depends on moving from an assembly hub to a design and manufacturing powerhouse.
  • Infrastructure Excellence: Develop plug-and-play industrial hubs, multimodal logistics, and reliable power under the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
  • MSME Resilience: Support smaller enterprises in adopting the Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) standards through fiscal incentives and technology clusters, ensuring they are not excluded due to compliance costs.
  • Strategic Aatm-nirbharta: Align self-reliance goals with Global Value Chains (GVCs) to ensure competitiveness rather than falling into protectionism.
  • Spatial Equity: Decentralize growth by incentivizing Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and manufacturing units in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to prevent metropolitan saturation.
• Human Capital-Centric Development: Growth is only inclusive if it converts the population into productive human capital.
  • Foundational Excellence: Universalize quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) by upgrading Anganwadi infrastructure and training frontline workers in modern pedagogy.
  • Dynamic Skilling: Implement workforce mapping that evolves with AI, green technologies, and semiconductors. This targets the educated unemployment crisis where 29.1% of graduates remain unemployed.
  • Care and Digital Economies: Invest in the emerging care sector and digital services to absorb the 7-8 million youth entering the labor force annually.
  • Nari Shakti: Foster women-led development by providing safe urban infrastructure, affordable childcare, and formalizing unpaid care work, which is currently valued at ~7.5% of GDP.
• Modernizing Agriculture and Rural Health: With 45% of the population still dependent on agriculture, a Viksit Bharat must first be a Viksit Agriculture.
  • Sustainable Productivity: Shift focus to AgriStack for digital credit and supply chains, while prioritizing soil health, groundwater recharging, and reduced GHG emissions.
  • Bridge the Digital Divide: Ensure universal digital literacy and last-mile connectivity.
  • AYUSH Integration: Integrate traditional medicine with primary healthcare through rigorous standardization and scientific validation to create a holistic public health system.
• R&D Reform: A world-class innovation ecosystem ensures India generates knowledge and translates it into strategic technologies and high-value economic growth.
  • The 2% Target: Raise Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) from the current 0.64% of GDP to 2% of GDP within 5–7 years to enable frontier innovation and global competitiveness.
  • Formalize Industry–Academia Linkages: Universities must evolve from teaching-centric institutions to research hubs, with mandatory industry-sponsored research chairs and structured incubation centres to commercialize innovation.
  • Efficient Capital Deployment: Utilize the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund (2025) as the primary instrument for this transformation, ensuring it bypasses bureaucratic delays and funds high-value, strategic research initiatives.
• Security and Post-Conflict Development: Sustainable development requires that post-conflict areas are fully integrated into the national mainstream through infrastructure, livelihoods, and trust-building.
  • Development-First Strategy: In former Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, shift from a security-centric to a development-centric model.
  • Building Trust: Prioritize livelihoods and social infrastructure in these regions to close developmental deficits and integrate them fully into the national mainstream.
• Enabling Sustainable Development: For national visions to translate into on-ground outcomes, effective execution, active citizen participation, and institutional trust in digital systems must function as reinforcing pillars of governance.
  • Time-Bound Execution: Sustainable development requires long-term vision aligned with short- and medium-term accountability through 10-Year Action Plans with clearly defined 1-, 2-, and 5-year milestones across states and local governments.
  • Participatory Governance: Transformation must evolve from a state-driven process to a “Jan Andolan” (People’s Movement), where citizens, civil society, and institutions collectively uphold standards of quality, excellence, and accountability.
  • Digital Trust and Cyber Security: A resilient economy and governance system depend on secure digital citizenship. Prioritizing cyber security, data protection, and trusted digital public infrastructure is essential to sustain economic stability, service delivery, and citizen confidence.
• The Strategic Framework: As proposed by economist Amartya Sen, policy interventions should follow the 3R Approach to ensure substantive freedom and capability for every citizen:
  • Reach: Ensuring the benefits of growth (education, health, digital access) physically reach the most peripheral and marginalized communities.
  • Range: Expanding the diversity of ways and means—combining traditional industrial policy with digital public infrastructure—to attack multiple deprivations simultaneously.
  • Reason: Prioritizing sectors based on their ability to expand human “capabilities” rather than just increasing GDP per capita.

Conclusion

Achieving Inclusive Viksit Bharat @ 2047 requires a shift from intent-driven policies to outcome-driven governance, anchored in human capital development, cooperative federalism and technological empowerment, ensuring that growth is broad-based, resilient and sustainable.

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