INTRODUCTION

“Viksit Bharat 2047” vision is a long term related visualization for Indian Economic and Social development, through it the nation objective to present a developed, competitive, and inclusive country by the time of nation’s 100th independence. The vision 2047 is a segment of the all-round visualisation for the country development and it is promoting by the Government of India (GOI). The vision is going to promote social inclusion, sustainability, economic growth and suppleness or resilience. The burning objective is not only the imagination of economic growth but also a dream for many sided with improvement of living standards, human development, growth, governance, and global guru.

The GOI’s initiatives Strat-up India, Digital India and Make in India are helping to accelerate the economic development. In addition to that our nation has the marvellous improvement in the areas of digitalization, GDP growth, development of infrastructure, and financial inclusion. Even though, with the development and growth our country still facing with various challenges, both categories, emerging and structural. These encounters may affect on the growth and development of the nation status in the global arena.

The present study is going to focus on analysis of social, economic development, technological advancement, and environmental sustainability challenges to reach the goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047”.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Agricultural Transition and Rural Development: Experts have suggested that India must reduce its dependence on the agricultural sector for higher income levels.

Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability: Research has indicated that India’s environmental sustainability may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision. Research has indicated that India’s growing demand for resources may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision. Research has highlighted the need for India to ensure the security of critical mineral supplies and renewable resources for the transition to a ‘green economy.’

Demographic Dividend and Employment of Youth: India possesses a large youth population, offering an advantage for growth. However, if job creation and skill development are not addressed, India may face a demographic burden.

Economic Growth and Structural Transformation: Research has indicated that India must sustain its GDP growth rate at 7-8% annually to become a developed nation by 2047.

Education and Skill Gap: Research has indicated that India’s growing skill gap may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision.

Employment Generation Challenge: Research has indicated that India must generate more than 10 million jobs every year to accommodate its growing workforce.

Fiscal Constraints and Public Finance: India faces fiscal challenges in terms of a small tax base and an increase in welfare spending, affecting infrastructure and development expenditure.

Gender Inequality in Economic Participation: Research has suggested that gender inequality in terms of female labour force participation and financial access for women entrepreneurs is an important factor for India.

Global Economic and Geopolitical Risks: India may face risks from global economic and geopolitical risks such as trade tensions, global economic slowdown, and other such risks.

Governance and Institutional Efficiency: Research has suggested that bureaucratic inefficiency, policy uncertainty, and poor institutional ability may hinder the successful execution of development strategies.

Health Infrastructure Limitations: Research has indicated that India’s health infrastructure limitations may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision.

Human Development Challenges: India’s lower ranking in global human development indicators has indicated that India must improve its human development to become a developed nation.

Inclusive Growth and Social Equity: Experts argue that for Viksit Bharat to be achieved, inclusive growth should be promoted to ensure equality of opportunities in education, employment, healthcare, and technology access.

Income Inequality and Regional Disparities: Research has indicated that India’s growing economic disparities may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision.

Innovation and Technology Adoption: India must adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital technology, and innovation in manufacturing for global competitiveness.

Low Research and Development Investment: Research has pointed out that India invests less than 1% of GDP in R&D, affecting innovation in technology and competitiveness in the global market.

Poverty and Social Inequality: A large portion of India’s population lives below the poverty line, despite India’s growth, and therefore needs attention.

Sustainable Urban and Rural Development: Balanced growth between cities and the countryside should be achieved to avoid migration and disparities.

Urbanization and Infrastructure Pressure: India’s urbanization has indicated that India’s urbanization may pose a challenge to achieving the Viksit Bharat vision.

RESEARCH GAP

There is a scope to analyse the challenges of Viksit Bharat 2047 for the sake of making a structural and strategical road map for the vision.

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the various challenges of the vision “Viksit Bharat 2047”

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The present study is going to cover only the specific vision related challenges with contemporary issues.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design: Qualitative

Data: Secondary

Methodology: Analytical

ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES

The nation’s related with the support of vision “VB 2047” (Viksit Bharat 2047) main challenges are social, economic development, technological advancement, and environmental sustainability are going to analyse as a qualitative information.

SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS

The vision for “Viksit Bharat 2047” imagines as a developed country at the time of 100th Independence Day celebrations. The one of the main challenges is social those are poverty, education gaps, inequality and health disparities.

Poverty: In our country multidimensional poverty affects approximately at 16.4 per cent of its citizens. As per Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) calculations nearly 42 per cent poverty intensity is existing. The recent studies in the 2024-25, stated that the extreme poverty has decreased to 1 per cent.

Education Gaps: In 14.71 lakh schools in India student enrolment is standing at 24.69 crore as per statistics. Moreover, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Primary Schools (PSs), Upper Primary Schools (UPSs) and Secondary Schools (SSs) is at high rate with 90.3 per cent, 90.9 per cent and 78.7 per cent respectively. But in Higher Secondary Schools (HSSs) it stands with 58.4 per cent. It is a good thing to our country that is the dropout rate of the students come down at 2.3 per cent in primary level, 3.5 per cent in middle level and 8.2 per cent in secondary level schools as per Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) in 2024-25.

Inequality: The coefficient of GINI in India come down from year 2011 as 28.8 to year 2025 as 25.5 with the rank of 4 in relation to income equality in the global and it is better than all G20 nations. However, in case of gender inequality our rank is 129 in the Global Gender Gap Report (GGGP) in 2024.

Health: As per Economic Survey of our country’s mortality rate of infant dropped down to 25 out of 1,000 live births in 2023. In relation to Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) with Total Health Expenditure (THE) decreased to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22 form 62.6 per cent in 2014-15 and at the same time the government health spending increased to 48 per cent. Moreover, health insurance claims reached to 1.9 lakh crore rupees in 2025-26. As per recent studies the child obesity is alarming to the nation, as per National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-21, 23 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women facing with the health issue of obesity and it is going to be increased in future.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES

The Economic Survey 2025-26 and other allied data of official from January to March 2026, there are important challenges of India’s economic development with reference to VB 2047 vision. They are mainly, Economic Growth and Macro Risks, Employment, Infrastructure Gaps and Sectoral and Trade Issues.

Economic Growth and Macro Risk: Financial Year 2025-26 Gross Domestic Production (GDP) of our country grew 8.2 per cent and it estimated for the further year 2026-27 at the rate of 7.4 per cent and forecasted for the year 2027-28 as 6.8 to 7.2 per cent but at global level risk crisis it revised to approximately 7 per cent. On the other side the fiscal deficit of the nation narrowed to 4.8 per cent in the Financial Year and the same target for the same target for the year 2026-27 as 4.4 per cent, with the support of inflation at 0.71 per cent Consumer Price Index (CPI) in November 2025.

Employment: In India unemployment in October 2025 is 5.2 per cent but it came down to 4.7 per cent in November 2025 and the same thing in urban at the rate of 6.5 per cent and with the female at 4.8 per cent. The worker population ratio in our country is going to move upward to 52 per cent in Financial Year 206-27 from 47 per cent in the year 2025-26. At the same time the gig workers are earning more than Rs. 15,000 per month. Moreover, the labour reforms are going to support the unemployment related issues.

Infrastructure Gaps: Based on Financial Year 2022-23 allocation to infrastructure has been raised by 89 per cent, in the year 2025-26 to Rs. 11.21 lakh crore for the purpose of highways. In case of logistics the cost reduced to 7.97 per cent of Gross Domestic Production in the year 2023-24. Moreover, in relation to data centres the improvement is moving upward tick.

Sectoral and Trade Issues: Manufacturing sector is presenting sluggish but Production Linked Incentive (PLI) exports Average Annual Growth Rate stood for the years from 2022-25 at 10.6 per cent, in case of service sector exports increased to 6.5 per cent from April to December 2025, bur offsetting merchandise decreased to 2.4 percent, the hit of tariff rates of United States of America gems and jewellery exports declined with 44 per cent.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT ISSUES

India’s vision VB 2047 require technology support as a pillar for it. The technological issues are Research and Development short fall in the technology, Digital Divide and Access, Innovation and IP Metrics and Semiconductor and Emerging Technology.

Research and Development Shortfall: Our country’s Research and Development expenditure is falling between 0.65 per cent to 0.7 per cent, which is less than of South Korea and China are falling at 4.5 per cent and 2.4 percent respectively. Our nation expectation to improve such expenditure up to 3 per cent by the end of 2047 year. As per Financial Year 2021-22 gross spending on these expenses reached to Rs. 1.27 lakh crore only.

Digital Divide and Access: According to 2024 survey in India, only 29 per cent women are getting access to the internet and on the other hand 22 per cent are digitally literate. But 82 per cent of men especially urban are having access. It represents that there is a huge inequality as per the year 2024 surveys. Tele density is in desirable one it stands at 84.19 per cent by October 2024, but use of 5G and more technology is less in the sectors of Agricultural Technology and Telemedicine at rural India. At other side digital payment system is increasing year on year.

Innovation and IPR Metrics: In the Financial Year 2024-25 in our country patent filings surged to 19.75 per cent with 1,10,375, domestically with 67,201 at the rate 61.79 per cent. At the same time women filers improving in good way from Financial Year 2015-16. Our country improves Global Innovation Index with the rank of 40 in the world. But the high rated value patents and commercialization is very low because of quality issues and weak linkages of the patents.

Semiconductor and Emerging Technology: In 2025 year country’s semiconductor market value was between 45 to 50 billion US dollars and it’s estimated to 110 billion US dollars by 2030 year. At the other way India’s technological manufacturing is with medium high at 46 per cent only. But the low skilled work force in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and Quantum. Moreover, MSMEs are not adopting the latest technology. There is a high level threat in connection with cyber frauds and privacy risks for it highly qualifies tech professionals are required for India.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BOTTLE NECKS

VB 2047 vision has to encounter environmentally sustainable growth with the intension to zero emissions with green technologies, but our country has to face the challenges of Air Quality Crisis, Water Scarcity Issues, Climate and Energy Progress and Biodiversity and Governance Gaps.

Air Quality Crisis: During the year 2025-26, in India Particulate Matter (PM) 204 out of 238 cities surpassed national PM 2.5 standards i.e. 40 mg/m3, in Delhi 163 mg/m3, in Noida 166 mg/m3 and in Ghaziabad 172 mg/m3 were worst hit and no city reached the WHO’s standards 5 mg/m3 limit. On other hand Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) in 2025-26 but all Indians breathe air above the WHO standards with 46 per cent.

Water Scarcity Issues: In 2021 per capita water availability in our country was 1,486 m3 but it was 5,200 m3 in 1951. It projected by 2050 year with 1,191 m3. In our country 230 billion Cubic Meters (BCM) withdrawn groundwater annually and 256 cities out of 700 cities are over exploited critically. Moreover, more than 70 per cent of surface water contaminated and impacting health and agriculture in our nation.

Climate and Energy Progress: In India renewable energy capacity added 38.61 GW in the year 2025 with 30.16 GW of solar, 4.47 GW of Wind. In case of nuclear targets by 2047 is 100 GW with Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Forest density rose to 7,15,343 km3 in 2023 with 23.17 per cent of land.

Biodiversity and Governance Gaps: In India pollution and urbanisation strain biodiversity is prevailing. The PARIVESH 3.O is adding to support for the betterment of biodiversity but policy and enforcement lagging is there. In addition to it our coastal and Himalayan states are under high vulnerability situation and overexploitation is going to risk and detracting the green growth achievements.

CONCLUSION

The vision Viksit Bharat 2047 can be succeeded with collaboration of multi stakeholder systematic planning action in which citizens, civil society, private sector and government all are required to work to resolve the challenges and make better situations of social, economic, technological, ecological, and political. It is mandatory to adhere with evidence based policy making, participatory governance, sustained political will and regular monitoring of human development will be necessary to transform the 2047 vision as a developed nation as our country.

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