NSA Doval talks about India's journey in 22 years, says 'will have largest workforce by 2047'

Chennai, July 11 (IANS) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday spoke about India’s rising economic stature and military might on the world stage and also made a prophesy about likely milestones that the country will achieve by 2047, the landmark year when we celebrate 100 years of Independence.

He said that the country has the potential to grow at an exponential rate and the GDP may grow by eight times by 2047.

Doval, while addressing the gathering at the 62nd convocation ceremony of IIT-Madras, chronicled the country’s journey from its troubled past to a bright future on the back of solid contributions from a host of national icons and also urged the students to shape themselves as dynamic leaders.

The NSA also underlined the importance of adopting high-value technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sought to draw a comparison with China in developing 5G technology.

“The Chinese took 12 years and invested $300 billion to develop 5G. We didn’t have that much time or that much money. But, in just two-and-a-half years, we went to create an indigenous alternative," he remarked.

Rallying behind the popular sentiment at the conclave, Doval said that the big dreams of tomorrow are very much within our reach, however it requires collective effort of countrymen.

He supported the views expressed by one of the learned professors that by 2047, India’s GDP could multiply by as many as eight times and it could reach $32 trillion.

“If that happens, our per capita income will grow from $2,500 dollars to $22,000. The country will have about 1.1 billion working population - highly skilled across multi-oriented disciplines. There will be a burgeoning middle class while the country’s demography, civilisational and spiritual strength will add another dimension to its prowess,” he told the gathering.

He added that in contrast to India, China would have a squeezed workforce and may see its workforce reduce to 23 per cent to less of what it has today.

The NSA called upon the students to prepare themselves as ‘leaders of tomorrow’ to sustain the multi-pronged challenges of the next era, as they will be the ones who will serve as the 'X factor'.

He further said that the country's technological advancements will be at a critical juncture and will need a careful calibration to safeguard national security.

Emphasizing on 'Operation Sindoor’s' accuracy, Doval said that the entire operation was completed in 23 minutes and objected to irresponsible and careless reportage by foreign portals about damages on the Indian side.

--IANS

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