The Indian economy is hurtling forward at high speed. In many ways it resembles the Vande Bharat (VB) train, which has taken the nation by storm. The train is clean, fast and always on time, unlike other trains. It gets preference on the tracks, even overtaking several trains along the way. It has become the flagship of the Indian Railways. Everyone wants to travel by Vande Bharat. But who exactly is everyone? Only about 10% of Indians can afford to travel by the Vande Bharat. Nevertheless, 10% translates to 140 million people, which is more than the population of any European country. This exactly is the state of the Indian economy. When we boast that Indian economy is the 5th largest in the world by GDP it only means that the top 10% are very rich and getting richer and richer. Lakhpatis are becoming crorepatis and millionaires are becoming billionaires. This gives us a false picture of our nation's wealth. The remaining 90% are stuck in the slow lane. Our Per Person GDP shows us the mirror. We rank 149th globally. And that my dear folks, is the exact state of our economy.
ROBERT CASTELLINO, Calangute
