Let's get real

Futile to speak of $5trn economy without preparatory work

Speaking at the fifth meeting of the Governing Council of the NITI Aayog, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government’s goal was to make India a “$5 trillion economy” by 2024, the end of his second term as prime minister. This goal, he admitted, was “challenging, but achievable” if state governments contributed to the effort. This is not the first time that Mr Modi or senior officials and ministers have spoken of this target in this time frame. However, repetition of the goal does not make it any more likely. India’s GDP is currently about $2.71 trillion. What is