India needs Gross Welfare Product, not just GDP: Former NITI Aayog VC

New Delhi, Nov 25: The 23rd edition of Reimagining Governance: Discourse for Excellence (RGDE) at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS) on Saturday featured noted economist and former NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, who laid out an expansive vision for India’s development through 2047.

Addressing officers from across the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Kumar praised PDUNASS for sustaining “a rare and steady space for honest governance conversations,” calling RGDE a forum “unmatched across institutions” for its focus on reflection-driven administrative reform.

Welcoming the participants earlier, Director PDUNASS Kumar Rohit underlined the founding spirit of RGDE – reflection leading to meaningful action.

Citing the Prime Minister’s remarks on the ‘Chariot of Development’ in Ayodhya, he said national governance must continue to draw strength from truth, courage, compassion, balance and character.

Setting the context for the theme India at 2047, Kumar argued that the country’s future cannot be measured by GDP growth alone.

Ambitions such as reclaiming India’s historic share of global output or joining the OECD, he said, are important but insufficient.

He said that India must move towards a Gross Welfare Product, anchored in universal free healthcare, universal free education and strong public infrastructure. While the state must build these foundational assets, he said, the private sector must lead innovation, research and job creation.

Recalling independent India’s political, social and economic transformation – from a per-capita income of USD 50 to nearly USD 3000 today - he said these achievements demonstrate the country’s capacity to meet far bigger aspirations amid shifting global opportunities.

A substantial part of Kumar’s keynote focused on climate change, which he described as Asia’s immediate, existential challenge. Pointing to the expanding Asian Brown Cloud, accelerated glacial melt in the Himalayas, rising sea levels and widespread soil degradation.

He said India must avoid repeating environmentally damaging global development models.

While appreciating government efforts in natural farming, carbon sequestration and climate-aligned agriculture, he said adaptation and mitigation alone would not suffice. India must instead evolve its own ecological model of growth.

Highlighting India’s growing global influence in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), including DIKSHA, Bhashini and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, Kumar said such platforms demonstrate the country’s ability to scale inclusive public services.

He called for a shift in state governance from a regulatory mindset to an enabling one, urging governments to adopt district-based development models with local GDP baselines, measurable targets and collaborative efforts among industry, academia, civil society and government.

On labour and social security, Kumar emphasised the need to expand manufacturing, reduce informality and address rising youth unemployment.

India’s young population, he said, is “a reservoir of extraordinary talent waiting to be unleashed,” and reforms must be shaped to unlock this potential.

He urged officers to carry the spirit of commitment into their work as the nation moves toward 2047.

The session, moderated by Regional PF Commissioner Uttam Prakash, was attended by around 600 officers from across the country.

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