Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued a clarion call for implementing reforms in a focused, mission-mode across all key sectors to sustain India's long-term growth trajectory. The objective is to realize the national vision of Viksit Bharat, or a Developed India, by the year 2047.
Pre-Budget Dialogue with Top Economists
The Prime Minister made these remarks during a significant interaction with a distinguished group of economists and domain experts at NITI Aayog in New Delhi. This high-level consultation was held ahead of the formulation of the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27. The central theme guiding the discussions was ‘Aatmanirbharta and Structural Transformation: Agenda for Viksit Bharat’.
PM Modi underscored that the nation's policy-making and budgetary processes must be firmly anchored to the ambitious 2047 goal. He emphasized building world-class capabilities and achieving deeper global economic integration. A key priority highlighted was ensuring India remains a pivotal hub for the international workforce and a critical player in global markets.
Notably, the Prime Minister observed that the vision of Viksit Bharat has moved beyond being a mere government policy framework. It has now evolved into a genuine mass aspiration shared by citizens across the country.
Expert Insights on Productivity and Technology
During the meeting, the participating economists presented strategic recommendations aimed at boosting productivity and enhancing competitiveness within India's manufacturing and services sectors. The collective view was that the unprecedented wave of cross-sectoral reforms witnessed in 2025, and their expected consolidation in the coming year, will solidify India's position as one of the world's fastest-growing major economies.
The dialogue focused on accelerating structural transformation through several critical levers:
- Increasing household savings to fuel investment.
- Continuing robust infrastructure development.
- Widespread adoption of cutting-edge and innovative technologies.
A significant part of the conversation explored the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a powerful enabler to drive productivity gains across diverse industries. The experts also discussed the need for the continued scaling and evolution of India's successful Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) model.
High-Profile Attendance and Public Participation
The meeting saw the presence of top government officials including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Principal Secretaries to the PM P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran, and NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam.
Prominent economists in attendance included former CEA Shankar Acharya, Ashok K Bhattacharya, N R Bhanumurthy, former RBI MPC member Ashima Goyal, Dharmakirti Joshi, Umakant Dash, Pinaki Chakraborty, Indranil Sen Gupta, Samiran Chakraborty, Abhiman Das, Rahul Bajoria, Monika Halan, and Siddhartha Sanyal.
This expert consultation aligns with the government's recent outreach for public input on the upcoming budget. Earlier in December, MyGovIndia invited suggestions from citizens for the Union Budget 2026-27, encouraging people to contribute ideas for policies that foster inclusive growth and national development.
