‘Unimaginable renaissance’: Vice President extols India’s economic resurgence, cites demographic challenges

Thiruvananthapuram, March 2 (IANS) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday extolled India’s economic resurgence and also highlighted certain ‘grim demographic challenges’ that the country faces.

Delivering the fourth P. Parameswaran Memorial Lecture on the theme ‘Democracy, Demography, Development, and the Future of Bharat’, the Vice President said: The theme calls upon me to first reflect on the state of the nation. There was a time, and I had the occasion to see it, as a member of parliament in 1989, as a union minister in 1990-91, an atmosphere that did not inspire us. That was alarmingly worrisome, full of concern.”

He added that now India is brimming with positivity and possibility, adding that the country is full of hope and aspirations.

“All around, all pervasive, an ecosystem of hope and possibility we can see, and in the global firmament, it is the brightest spot of investment and opportunity. The country has seen in the last decade an exponential economic upsurge. Our rise from 11th position a decade ago, on the scale of economic size, we have traversed a long distance, facing headwinds, difficult terrain, overcoming hurdles created earlier, cleansing the system, making it transparent and accountable,” he said.

The Vice President added that India is the 5th largest global economy at the moment and is on the way to becoming a 4 trillion economy in US dollars very shortly, and with average growth over this period of about 8 per cent.

“Bharat happens to be the fastest growing global economy in the last decade, acclaimed, accoladed and applauded by global institutions, the IMF and the World Bank. The World Bank has appreciated our deep digitisation, technological penetration, and everyone sees it now as a ground reality. Next comes infrastructure. Phenomenal infrastructure growth has dotted our landscape. Be it on sea, deep sea, ground, sky or in space, all our accomplishments make us greatly proud, and I am happy to share with you, every year the country has added four new airports and one metro system, and on a daily basis, 14 kilometres of highways and 6 kilometres of railways are being added,” he claimed.

The Vice President also highlighted the scale of deep technological penetration, 85 million are benefiting with houses, 330 million with health coverage, and 29 million small businesses with loans annually.

“The government is hand-holding them by affirmative policies and innovative schemes. We now boast of more than what we achieved in space. Lunar and Mars missions in medical science, vaccine production, and the nation is bound to be the hub of semiconductors, engineering and manufacturing,” he said.

The Vice President added that the demography does matter and it should not be confused with majoritarianism, adding that the society cannot be divided into these two camps.

“Our nation is faced with grim challenges when it comes to demography. The demography evolution must be organic. It must be natural. It must be soothing only then it reflects unity and diversity, but if demographic variations are brought about in the nature of virtual and earthquake, there is cause for concern. If inorganic demographic variations take place with intent to increase demographic component with the objective to secure progress, then we have to be alarmed. This is being done. This is noticeably being done. We are at a crossroads, where we can neither overlook nor countenance this highly destabilising development,” he said.

Speaking on India’s progress, Dhankhar highlighted the remarkable transformation in rural areas, stating that a nation of 1.4 billion—look at the transformative changes that have impacted the rural landscape.

The Vice President stressed that government initiatives are ensuring benefits reach the most disadvantaged, regardless of caste, religion, or socio-economic background.

“Efforts are being made to ensure that benefits reach those in the last line, without discrimination based on qualification, race, religion, caste, or color. This is being achieved with great success,” he said.

Dhankhar paid tribute to P. Parameswaran, describing him as a leading intellectual and ideologue of Hindu philosophy in this century.

“His unwavering commitment to Bharatiya values, his deep understanding of Indian ethos, and his relentless pursuit of national unity continue to inspire generations. His vision for a self-reliant, culturally rooted, and spiritually awakened Bharat resonates profoundly across the nation,” he remarked.

The Vice President emphasised the importance of recognising historical figures who have contributed to India’s progress, stating: “A civilisation is known by how it honours its great sons. Over the past few years, we have been remembering our forgotten, unsung, and unseen heroes.”

He also expressed concern over illegal immigration, stating that millions of illegal migrants pose threats to national security, employment, healthcare, and education.

“Illegal migrants place demands on our employment, health, and education sectors and then influence electoral politics. Unchecked migration is also threatening our cultural identity. We must act courageously to stop these demographic disruptions,” he asserted.

Dhankhar also addressed religious conversions, saying they should not be induced by greed, temptation, or exploitation of vulnerable individuals.

“India upholds the fundamental right to freedom of religion, passed down from our civilisational heritage. However, if this right is manipulated through coercion, it cannot be tolerated. Helping those in need should not be a means to lure them into conversion,” he stated.

He described strategised, financially backed efforts to convert people as a grave concern.

“No matter how much I emphasise this, I cannot fully express the enormity of the challenge we face due to these orchestrated efforts aimed at conversions,” he said.

The Vice President also spoke about the increasing polarisation in politics, noting that national and civilisational values are no longer at the center of political discourse.

He urged Parliament to be a model of dialogue, debate, discussion, and deliberation, much like the Constituent Assembly that drafted India’s Constitution.

“Today, instead of discussion and debate, we see disruptions and disturbances. Parliament must transform the aspirations of the people into reality,” he said.

–IANS

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