Achievements:India @75

Years ago, at Midnight India made a tryst with destiny, and an independent India was born, it was
drained, divided but desperate to make its own identity.

We look at India's achievements in 75 and the success stories at 75. It's been a stupendous journey
of 75 years.

In the economy, the British crown looted 45 trillion dollars from India from raw materials to the
Kohinoor diamond, the British took all. They also exploited many, all the thumbs of Indian weavers
were cut off, and Indian peasants were crushed.

The brightest jewel in the British crown was left with the prospect of a dim future. Britain
industrialized India. At the time of independence, India's per capita income was 230 rupees that's
2.89 the average income was 1 15 of what an average American earned, there was poverty and
hunger.

The task before India was to lift itself and it did there was rapid industrialization three successful
revolutions took place green, white and blue. India opened itself to the world's globalized

Its economy privatized its banks 75 years later India is one of the world's leading economies for less
than three dollars. India's per capita income has grown to almost 2000 its share of the world GDP is
3.28, seven decades back India was an import-dependent country. Today, more and more global
companies are making in India and Indian companies are making a mark globally. India is becoming a
force to reckon with in more ways than one which brings us to geopolitics.

India successfully navigated the cold war, which became a political force for decolonization. India
liberated Bangladesh. It reached out to Africa successfully dehydrated Israel and Palestine stuck
strategic partnerships with the gulf in isolated Pakistan. When India and Pakistan had a dog fight the
world supported India when Pakistan tried to make an issue out of Kashmir, the world again
supported India. Today world powers see India as an important partner and a leading voice in
multilateral forums. The face of peace, the loudest cheerleader of counterterrorism, the journey has
not been easy.

Right after independence, India made some bad decisions like letting go of a security council seat
then there were security challenges in 1948 Pakistan's incursion into Kashmir in 1962, the war with
China in 1999, the war in Kargil, and the current standoff in Ladakh but on every such occasion, India
showed the world that it's capable of defending itself, capable of resisting any attempt to redraw its
map. India has taught the world tolerance and universal acceptance and none of it was Easy you may
recognize this man Winston Churchill Britain's former prime minister Churchill dismissed India's
experiment with self-governance why because India is socially diverse with 22 languages 20000
dialects, numerous religions, numerous regions, Churchill said," India is merely a geographical
expression it is no more a single country than the equator".

He was convinced that independent India won't be able to stay together well but Churchill was
wrong. India remains united and grows stronger its success as a secular state has surprised many.
There have been ups and downs India survived a partition, the Babri masjid demolition operation
blue star it's what followed Gujarat rides but which country does not have rough patches and which
country can claim to be this diverse in the initially as post-independence it was tough keeping the
country together one of the big challenges was public health or the lack of it.
In 1947 the average life expectancy in India was 32 years, there was the rampant spread of
communicable diseases like malaria and tuberculosis in 1947 India registered 75 million cases of
malaria its total population was 330 million so almost 23 percent of the population had malaria by
1964 the numbers came down then there was polio until the early 1990s every day around 500
children were getting paralyzed India fought polio and declared itself polio-free by 2014.

Today India's polio eradication is a case study of health care success for the world India also
eradicated smallpox and as we speak India is running the world's largest vaccination program India's
healthcare system is one of its biggest achievements we hardly appreciate it because there's a lot
that's not right but when you look at where we started the achievements look Astounding around
the time of independence two thousand mothers died for every one lakh childbirths 2000 today that
number is down to 103. Also look at the increase in life expectancy, its over 100 percent, this is one
of the most important indicators of human development today India is called the world's pharmacy
it exports medicines to 200 countries and Regions.

Another feather in the cap is technology India decided to go to space just 17 years after
independence it set up Inco spar or Indian national committee for space research India's first rocket
launch happened in 1963 from a town called thumba the rocket parts were transported in bicycles
and bullock carts look at this photo this is how India's space journey began today India is a well-
established space power it has reached mars today India is unfurling the tri-colour in space to mark
75 years of independence.

Do you know India was also the first country outside the permanent ones members to test a nuclear
bomb and it did this despite the world's best efforts reports say the CIA killed an Indian scientist to
roadblock the nuclear journey the US had even deployed a satellite over India to spy so work on the
nuclear test was mostly done during the night and equipment would be returned to the original
place in the morning to evade detection by American satellites code names were used the
thermonuclear device for example was placed in a shaft named white house on the 18th of may
1974 India took the world by surprise it became a nuclear power the operation was called smiling
Buddha

the director of India's nuclear research institute raja Ramana told the then prime minister Indira
Gandhi buddha has Smiled how did India achieve all of this one democracy two literacy from the
very first day of independence every adult in India had the right to vote and just for reference it took
the US 150 years of independence to adopt universal adult Franchise in the last 75 years India's
population has grown from 370 million to 1.4 billion states have been reorganized but the sanctity of
elections has never been compromised they're chaotic yes they're controversial but they're held
without fail every five years voters queue up in front of booths some cast their vote some vote their
caste but all of them exercise their right and they have been dark periods like the emergency in 1975
then prime minister Indira Gandhi was facing protests her future in office was uncertain so she
declared a 22-month long emergency democratic institutions were attacked politicians were locked
up the press was censored but it did not last and that's the thing about India's story it's far from
perfect there's corruption there's inefficiency in everything else that we keep complaining about yet
India's democracy has delivered it has alleviated poverty built world-class infrastructure and sent
Indians to space to win gold medals and beauty pageants and to lead the world's biggest companies
literacy has played an important role here when India became independent four out of five people
could not read the literacy rate was around twelve Percent for India to grow it had to educate its

people it made free education a fundamental right schemes like Sarva shikha Abhayan and midday
meal ensured that children found their way to schools India expanded its educational infrastructure
in 1947 India had only 28 medical schools four dental colleges and 33 engineering colleges look at
the numbers Today the India that could neither read nor write is now the world's biggest talent pool
top engineers doctors Indian origin CEOs all bear testimony to India's growth and transformation
today's India is home to 1.4 billion people it is progressive yet rooted in its culture and values it is
home to the world's youngest population the world's largest democracy the world's largest film
industry the world's largest diaspora population the second large road network a leader in climate
action a market that every company wants to enter and a strategic force that every government
wants to partner today as India celebrates its historical achievements it also has a clear vision of the
future this is India at 75