India will need to at least double its current economic size to genuinely realise the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, with the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) required to reach a minimum of $10 trillion, according to an opinion piece published in The Jerusalem Post by former diplomat Mohan Kumar.

The GDP Gap India Must Close

Kumar argued that while India has legitimate cause to celebrate becoming the world's fourth-largest economy, a $4.5 trillion GDP falls short of what a nation of nearly 1.5 billion people truly requires. 'While India can be legitimately proud of being the fourth-largest economy in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world, the fact remains that for a population approaching 1.5 billion, the present GDP of $4.5 trillion is a little below par,' he wrote.

To bridge this gap, the article identifies several structural levers: expanding India's share in global foreign trade, attracting larger volumes of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and pushing through deep economic reforms that go beyond incremental policy adjustments.

Growth Must Be Inclusive, Not Just Fast

Kumar was explicit that raw GDP acceleration alone would be insufficient. The gains of growth, he stressed, must percolate to the most marginalised sections of society. 'While there is no question that the GDP must accelerate, that alone is not enough. Growth must be inclusive; it must percolate to the downtrodden people at the bottom of the pyramid,' he wrote.

This emphasis on equity sits at the heart of the Viksit Bharat framework, which envisions a developed India not merely by economic size but by the quality of life of its citizens. The article pointed to healthcare as a critical area, acknowledging the Centre's Ayushman Bharat Yojana while arguing that large-scale transformation of public health infrastructure must continue. Healthcare, Kumar argued, must become more affordable and accessible to the majority of Indians.

Entrepreneurship and AI Skills as Growth Engines

The piece also highlighted the need to cultivate an economic ecosystem where India's large and young population transitions from job-seekers to job-creators. This aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated framing of youth entrepreneurship as a core pillar of Viksit Bharat. Under the current government, India's startup ecosystem has grown to over 2.5 lakh registered startups, backed by a ₹1 lakh crore Innovation Fund.

On skills, the article flagged the urgency of reskilling graduates for a technology-driven economy, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) identified as a priority domain. This connects directly to Modi's Independence Day 2025 announcement of AI skill training for one crore youth over the next year — a push he linked to India's ambition to lead globally in AI, referencing the country's recent AI Summit.

Mission Mode and a Whole-of-Government Push

Kumar concluded that achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047 demands coordinated, cross-sectoral urgency rather than siloed policy efforts. 'India is well positioned to become Viksit Bharat by 2047, but the country needs to be in mission mode, and a whole-of-government approach is required to make sure that no stone is left unturned in this national endeavour,' he wrote.

With just over two decades remaining until the centenary of India's independence, the report serves as a structured checklist of what must accelerate — and what must change — if the $10 trillion milestone is to be more than an aspirational headline.