Independence Day 2025: Tryst with growth — India's economic journey from Nehru to now

Time of India

11 hours ago

India's economic story
since independence in 1947 is nothing short of a fascinating journey, from Nehru's vision of a socialist, state-led economy to the dynamic, globally integrated powerhouse that it is today. This path weaves through decades of changing policies, major reforms, crises and technological leaps, all shaping India's rise as the world's fourth-largest economy.
1947–1950s: Laying the foundation with Nehru's socialist planning
Right after independence, India's economy was fragile, recovering from colonial extraction, partition trauma and widespread poverty. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, chose a unique approach inspired by Soviet-style central planning but adapted for India's needs. It was a mixed-economy model focused on self-reliance and rapid industrialisation.
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The Planning Commission, established in 1950, became the central architect of this strategy, formulating the Five-Year Plans that would guide the country's growth.
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The First Five-Year Plan (1951–1956) prioritised agriculture, irrigation and power. This was a smart move, addressing immediate food shortages and helping refugees settle post-partition. It was a success, with GDP growing at 3.6% annually, beating the target of 2.1%. Big infrastructure projects like the Bhakra-Nangal Dam took shape during this period.
The Second Five-Year Plan shifted gears toward heavy industry, laying the groundwork for steel plants and large-scale manufacturing.
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To fuel this growth, the government set up numerous Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), state-owned companies in sectors like steel (SAIL), heavy engineering (BHEL) and power (NTPC). These were called the 'temples of modern India,' aiming not just to earn profits but also to create jobs, balance regional development and prevent the concentration of economic power.
However, the era also saw the rise of the Licence Raj, a system requiring businesses to get government licences to start or expand. While intended to regulate investment and protect nascent industries, it quickly became synonymous with red tape, corruption and sluggish growth, stifling innovation and entrepreneurship.
1960s–70s: The Green Revolution
By the mid-1960s, India faced a serious food crisis. It was importing grain and relying on foreign aid just to feed its people. The government's answer was the Green Revolution, a technology-driven push to achieve self-sufficiency in food production.
Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, often called the 'Father of the Green Revolution,' led efforts to introduce High-Yielding Varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice, which produced much larger crops than traditional seeds did.
To support these new crops, the government heavily promoted fertilisers, pesticides and improved irrigation systems, reshaping farming practices across vast swathes of the country.
The results were remarkable: India not only ended chronic food shortages but became a major agricultural producer. Yet these gains weren't evenly spread. Punjab and Haryana surged ahead, while other regions lagged, deepening economic disparities.
The intensive use of chemicals also caused environmental concerns like soil degradation and water pollution, challenges India continues to grapple with today.
1980s: Rajiv Gandhi's tech push
The 1980s marked a subtle but important shift. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi started nudging India away from strict socialist controls, seeing technology as the key to growth.
Telecommunications and IT got a big boost. Under technocrats like Sam Pitroda, the government launched the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) in 1984 to develop indigenous telecom technology. Public Call Offices (PCOs) sprouted, expanding telephone access to rural areas. The formation of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) improved city-level services.
Computerisation made its mark with innovations like computerised railway reservations, making public services more efficient and accessible.
Rajiv's government also eased some industrial controls, simplified licencing, and lowered taxes on tech products -- small but significant moves that set the stage for the sweeping reforms of the 1990s.
1991: Economic liberalisation
By 1991, India's economy was in crisis. Foreign reserves had shrunk to a few weeks' worth of imports. Years of fiscal deficits, a large trade deficit and external shocks like the Gulf War had shaken confidence. The country was on the brink of default.
Under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh, India responded decisively with a bold New Economic Policy (NEP) built on Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation (LPG).
Liberalisation: The government dismantled the Licence Raj, scrapping industrial licencing for most sectors and freeing businesses to expand and innovate.
Privatisation: The state began reducing its role, selling stakes in PSUs, and opening up sectors like telecommunications and aviation to private competition.
Globalisation: The rupee was devalued to boost exports, tariffs were cut, and policies encouraged foreign direct investment (FDI).
To secure an IMF loan, India even pledged its gold reserves, a symbolic act underscoring the gravity of the crisis. These reforms prevented financial collapse and set India on a high-growth trajectory.
Post-1991: Rapid growth, services boom and global emergence
The reforms replaced the decades-long 'Hindu rate of growth' of about 3.5% with sustained annual growth above 6%. The services sector surged, especially in IT and software.
Companies like Infosys and TCS became global leaders, making India the world's outsourcing hub.
Today, it is the fastest-growing major economy, with real GDP rising at 6.5% and nominal GDP tripling from Rs 106.57 lakh crore in 2014–15 to Rs 331.03 lakh crore in 2024–25, as per official data.
By 2025, the economy reached about $4.19 trillion, surpassing Japan to become the fourth-largest in the world.
Current projections suggest it could overtake Germany by 2028, driven by strong domestic demand, favourable demographics and continued reforms.
Recent policy milestones (2014–present)
The past decade has seen transformative initiatives shaping India's economic landscape:
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (2014): Mass financial inclusion, opening millions of bank accounts, especially in rural areas.
Make in India (2014): Driving India's ambition to become a global manufacturing hub.
Digital India (2015): Building digital infrastructure, increasing online government services, and boosting digital literacy.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) (2016): Revolutionising real-time digital payments, making India a leader in global digital transactions.
Demonetisation (2016): The controversial withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes to curb black money and counterfeit currency; it led to a spike in digital transactions despite short-term disruption.
Goods and Services Tax (GST) (2017): Unified the country's complex indirect tax system into a single nationwide tax, simplifying business and trade.
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme (2020): Part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision, this scheme incentivises domestic manufacturing across 14 key sectors that include electronics, pharma and automobiles.
Viksit Bharat 2047: The government's long-term vision to make India a developed nation by its 100th independence anniversary, targeting a $30 trillion economy with a focus on youth, women, farmers, and poverty eradication.
The journey continues
From Nehru's steel plants to Singh's market reforms and today's digital and manufacturing ambitions, India's economic journey is a story of resilience, reinvention and a delicate dance between state control and free markets.
Rising from food shortages and a closed economy in the 1960s to becoming a global powerhouse in 2025, India's growth is not just a record of numbers, it's a testament to its ability to adapt, innovate and push forward. The climb isn't over yet, and the future holds even bigger possibilities.