Central idea 

The article calls for a reimagining of India’s development strategy, shifting from an economic-centric model to prioritizing happiness and well-being. It critiques the current focus on GDP, highlighting the need for comprehensive social indicators in the development narrative. The central idea is to envision a “Happy India-Developed India” by 2047, where happiness becomes the central pursuit, transcending conventional economic measures.

Key Highlights:

• Viksit Bharat Launch: The launch of Viksit Bharat aims to make India a developed nation by its 100th Independence year in 2047.
• Economic Overemphasis: Critics argue that Viksit Bharat places excessive emphasis on economic development, overlooking other crucial aspects.
• Happiness as Central Pursuit: The author suggests reimagining the theme as ‘Happy India-Developed India,’ focusing on happiness as a central pursuit for meaningful development.
• Happiness Metrics: The World Happiness Report measures happiness through variables like GDP per capita, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and perception of corruption.
• Social Connections and Well-being: Countries like Finland and Denmark, ranked highest in happiness, emphasize social connections and support systems, contributing to well-being.

Key Challenges:

• Economic-Centric Development: The challenge lies in shifting the development narrative from an economic-centric model to one that prioritizes happiness and well-being.
• Social Disruption: The current economic-focused development model may lead to social disruption, imbalances, and contradictions.
• Disregard for Social Indicators: The conventional focus on GDP fails to consider crucial social indicators, neglecting human and social aspects of development.

Key Terms and Phrases:

• Viksit Bharat: The development initiative launched with the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.
• World Happiness Report: An annual report measuring happiness using multiple variables and indicators.
• Human Development Index (HDI): An index considering life expectancy, educational attainment, and income level.
• Green Index: A World Bank-developed index measuring a nation’s wealth based on produced assets, natural resources, and human resources.
• Social Development Index: Introduced by the UN Research Institute for Social Development, it includes 16 core indicators.
• Global Innovation Index, Rule of Law Index, Poverty Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, Gender Equality Index, and World Press Freedom Index: Various indices significant for comprehensive national development.

Key Quotes:

• “Without achieving happiness, development has no meaning.”
• “Happiness ought to be the central pursuit in this journey.”
• “The nations have developed, but people are not happy.”

Critical Analysis: The article critically examines the conventional economic-focused development model and advocates for a paradigm shift towards happiness-centric development. It emphasizes the inadequacy of GDP-centric measures and highlights the importance of considering social indicators for a more inclusive and balanced development approach.

Way Forward: The way forward involves reimagining the development narrative, giving importance to happiness metrics, and incorporating a broader set of indicators such as the Human Development Index, Green Index, and others. Prioritizing social connections, well-being, and happiness in development strategies will contribute to a more holistic and sustainable vision for Viksit Bharat@2047.

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