Mangaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 28 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that India must not mistake progress for completion, asserting that a developing India cannot be the final destination and that the goal must be a Viksit Bharat.

Addressing a gathering at NITTE, she said aspirations have changed, noting, 'A young lady, today, does not dream of subsistence. She dreams of excellence. She seeks quality education, world-class healthcare, meaningful employment, and a clean environment. She wants to compete globally and succeed confidently because in a rapidly changing global order, economic strength is the bedrock of strategic autonomy.'

She emphasised that Viksit Bharat is not just about GDP numbers but about something far grander and more human. It is about the Krushika (farmer) in Kalyana Karnataka whose future is assured, and about a girl in a village in Raichur district who should be able to dream of becoming a scientist or a judge without being limited by geography or gender.

Highlighting inclusivity, she said it is also about the Mogaveera fisherman on the Udupi coast having access to cold storage, digital markets and insurance, and about tribal youth in the forests of Dandakaranya having a seat at the table of prosperity without surrendering their identity.

She noted that India has 900 million people under the age of 35, accounting for 65 per cent of the population, calling it the largest concentration of young human potential, with youth being ambitious and aspirational.

'When India leads, the world has a model of development that is not extractive, not colonial, not zero-sum, but rooted in the oldest wisdom of our traditions that: True Wealth is Shared Wealth. That's the message which Shri Nitte Vinaya Hegde's life conveys,' she said.

'A developed, stable, democratic, pluralistic India - the world's largest democracy, a civilisational bridge between East and West, between the Global North and the Global South - is not just good for India. It is good for the entire planet,' she added.

The Finance Minister stressed that Viksit Bharat is a national partnership involving governments, industry, academia and citizens, stating that while the government can build the platform, the energy and discipline of 140 crore Indians will build the nation.

Reflecting on history, she said India's share of global GDP fell from around 24 per cent in 1700 to less than 4 per cent in 1947 due to colonialism, adding that India is now the world's fastest growing major economy and must choose extraordinary growth to achieve a developed nation by 2047. (ANI)