The 68-years of independence have seen many changes in the socio-economic landscape of Asia's third largest economy. An independent India was bequeathed a shattered economy, widespread illiteracy and shocking poverty. Contemporary economists divide the history of India’s economic growth into two phases – first 45 years after independence and the two decades of free market economy. The years preceding the economic liberalisation were mainly marked by instances wherein economic development got stagnated due to a lack of meaningful policies.
The economic reforms came to India’s rescue with the launching of a policy of liberalisation and privatisation. A flexible industrial licensing policy and a relaxed FDI policy started getting positive responses from international investors. Among the major factors that drove India’s economic growth following the economic reforms of 1991 were increased FDI, adoption of information technology and an increased domestic consumption.
During the decades that followed the colonial rule, India's economy, in absolute terms, has expanded to Rs 57 lakh crore from mere Rs 2.7 lakh crore and the nation's foreign exchange reserves have crossed $300 billion, giving the economy firepower to fight external shocks.
Even as the country has progressed in laying out the basic framework to take the economy to high growth path by building roads and ports and ramping up the food grain production, a fast growing population and infrastructure woes demand more work to be done on multiple fronts.
Here is a look at the key macro indicators of the nation's economy from independence till now:
GDP
India's GDP, in absolute numbers, has grown from a mere Rs2.7 lakh crore to Rs57 lakh crore in 67 years of independence.
annual growth of GDP (In %)
Economic growth surged to near double-digit levels between 2005-06 to 2007-08 compared with anemic growth in the early years post independence. The growth has slowed to sub-5 percent levels in the last two financial years hit by slowdown in global and domestic economies and in the absence of much needed growth oriented reforms.
Gross domestic savings as % of GDP
Gross domestic savings of Indians, as a percentage of GDP, has grown over the decades to touch a high of 36.8 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2008, but the ratio has steadily declined after that to 30 percent in fiscal year 2013, causing concern to the policymakers.
Food grain production
India's food grain production has more than doubled over the decades that followed colonial rule to a record 264 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2014. But, to feed the fast growing population, with more than a quarter of them still estimated to be below the poverty line, the country needs to produce more.
Roads
Post independence, the country has progressed significantly in building roads to connect its cities with its hinterland, but given that poor infrastructure is a major concern for India, the country needs a wider road network to carry the fruits of growth to far-flung villages.
The Indian road network has become one of the largest in the world with the total road length increasing from 0.399 million km in 1951 to 4.24 million km as of July 2014. Moreover, the total length of the country’s national highways has increased from 24,000 km (1947-69) to 92,851 km (2014). Governmental efforts have led to the expansion of the network of State highways and major district roads, which in turn has directly contributed to industrial growth
Scientific achievement
Independent India has taken confident strides in its road to scientific development. Its prowess is being manifested in a gradual scaling up of ambitious projects. India takes pride in its space programmes, which began with the launch of its first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975. Since then, India has emerged as a space power that has successfully launched foreign satellites. Its first mission to Mars was launched in November 2013 which successfully reached the planet’s orbit on 24 September 2014.
India is also aggressively pursuing both nuclear and missile programmes. That has simultaneously augmented the country’s defence strength as well. BrahMos inducted into the defence system is the world’s fastest cruise missile that has been jointly developed by India and Russia. After more than six decades of independence, India has now come closer to being an independent force to reckon with in the field of nuclear and missile technology.
Progress in Education
Pulling itself out from widespread illiteracy, India has managed to bring its education system at par with the global standard. The number of schools witnessed a dramatic increase during the post-independence era. The Parliament made elementary education a fundamental right for children in the age group of 6-14 years by passing the 86th amendment to the Constitution in 2002. At independence, India’s literacy rate was a paltry 12.2 % which increased to 74.04% in 2011.
The Government launched the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in 2001 to ensure education for the children from 6 to 14 years. Prior to that, it had launched an effective initiative – Sponsored District Education Programme, which increased the number of schools across the country. In a bid to attract children to schools, especially in the rural areas, the government also started implementing the mid-day meals programme in 1995.
Forex reserves
The nation's foreign exchange reserves have grown to over $ 300 billions from a mere $ 2 billion at the time of independence. Strong foreign exchange reserves have given the economy more fire power to withstand external shocks compared. In January 1991, India had to pledge 67 tonnes of gold to International Monetary Fund after the country's forex reserves plunged to a mere $ 1.2 billion, just enough to finance three weeks of essential imports.
Import/export
India's imports have shot up at a faster pace than exports over the decades resulting in a widening gap in the trade balance. India's current account deficit widened to a record 4.8 percent of the GDP in the fisal year 2013, before falling to 1.7 percent in fiscal year 2014 after the government clamped down on gold imports.
India's external debt
The country's external debt has surged to $440 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2014. The external debt, which comprises of government and non-government borrowings, has risen mainly because of increase in the non-government debt. At end March, 2014, total government debt stood at $82 billion and that of non-government debt at $359 billion.
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