How to unlock ‘1.4bn possibilities’

India has “millions of possibilities” to unlock on its path to becoming a developed nation by 2047. Realising this potential will require a sharp increase in research and develop - ment spend, greater investment in emerging technologies and skills, and a stronger focus on inclusive and sustainable growth, govt and industry leaders said at TOI Ideas for India 2026.Ports, shipping and waterways min - ister Sarbananda Sonowal said India’s ambition must extend beyond the scale of its achievements. “Sovereign technol - ogy must give India strategic autonomy; inclusive innovation must ensure that no section of Bharat is left behind; and sustainable development must safe - guard the future of Bharat,” he said.Sonowal highlighted initiatives in the maritime sector, including the devel - opment of the Rs 76,000-crore greenfield Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra, a Rs 70,000-crore package to revitalise ship - building and the maritime sector, and a major push to transport cargo through coastal shipping and inland waterways.“Together, these initiatives will reduce our dependence on foreign transship - ment hubs, improve logistics efficiency, attract investment and create new em - ployment opportunities,” he added.Kirloskar Systems chairperson and MD Geetanjali Kirloskar said India had the opportunity to become a leader in critical technologies while improving living standards for ordinary citizens. Achieving ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047 would require industry to build resilient busi - nesses, strengthen energy security, im - prove product quality and adapt to geo - political uncertainties, she said. Kirloskar stressed the need to signifi - cantly increase R&D spend, noting that India spends around $18 billion annu - ally, equivalent to 0.65% of GDP.Greater investment in innovation and sectors such as semiconductors, AI, clean en - ergy, biotechnology and advanced mate - rials would be essential for global com - petitiveness.“India is not just a market of 1.4 billion people; it is an innovation base of 1.4 billion possibilities,” she said, adding that ‘Viksit Bharat’ should be measured not just by economic size, but also by prosperity, happiness, sus - tainability and inclusive development.South Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj called for India to become a leader in AI rather than being merely a consumer, highlighting its potential to transform agriculture, education, healthcare, women’s safety and the justice system.Swaraj suggested that AI could help decide certain categories of cases, including cheque-bouncing disputes, matters under the Motor Vehicles Act and rent-control cases — within days rather than months or years, as these are largely adjudicated on documentary evidence.She proposed a guaranteed appeal against AI decisions before a human panel, stressing that AI should have no role in decisions involving per - sonal liberty or incarceration. She also proposed assigning a track - ing ID to every criminal case so that AI could help govt track undertrials who had spent a substan - tial period in custody.“No Indian should be in jail merely because he did not file a bail application,” she said. Rohit Agarwal, senior vice-president and head of innova - tion at Optum Global, said India’s ambition to become a $35-tril - lion economy by 2047 would require annual growth of 8-10%. How - ever, success must also be measured by how widely opportunities and tech benefits reach people, he said.“The future will not be created by one institution or one breakthrough; it will be created by millions of breakthroughs. India’s greatest opportunity is not simply the number of people we have; it is the number of problem-solvers we are able to create,” he said.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.