Beyond the $55 Trillion Dream: A Diary of Doubt on India@100’s Vision for “Viksit Bharat”
Beyond the $55 Trillion Dream: A Diary of Doubt on India@100’s Vision for “Viksit Bharat” Posted on 26th February, 2026 (GMT 01:05 hrs) ABSTRACT This diary, spanning February 21–23, 2026, offers a multifaceted critique of Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian’s book India@100: Envisioning Tomorrow’s Economic Powerhouse (2024). Through personal reflections, it dissects the bulk purchase controversy involving Union Bank of India, the book’s promotional events and political alignments, pricing anomalies, and core economic projections for a $55 trillion economy by 2047. Interwoven are broader analyses challenging GDP as a fetishized metric, exposing structural misrepresentations in India’s national accounts, rising external debt amid IMF concerns, unaddressed inequality and crony capitalism, and superficial treatment of climate crises. Contrasting Subramanian’s optimistic, growth-oriented “ethical capitalism” with Gandhian austerity and deep ecological alternatives, the entries highlight...