State of inclusive growth in India: some perspectives

Abstract

India has recently completed 25 years of economic liberalization during which the country has delivered rapid economic growth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. One of the central debates that marked the occasion of a quarter century of reforms is the state of inclusiveness in the growth process. While there is a general consensus on the drop in poverty rates over this period, the enduring or even worsening state of disparities on a variety of dimensions—gender, rural vs urban, and socio-economic status—is well acknowledged by several recent studies.