Economic growth, prosperity remain primary impulse for changes in India: India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra

Washington: India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Thursday said economic growth and prosperity remain the primary impulse for changes in India and flagged return to "control regime" world over as a cause of concern.

"The primary and the core impulse of changes in India remains the economic growth and prosperity of India," Kwatra said addressing the New India Conference organised by the Hudson Institute.

Kwatra said India has experienced consumption products, technology, services and knowledge being restricted for the country's growth.


"I think this return to controls, which are wide-ranging, not necessarily rooted in any global norm or even a regional norm.... it's equally important to mention that this is also becoming relatively a trend which is spreading out all over," the Indian envoy said.

Kwatra said that India's economic expansion -- marked by "7 per cent-plus GDP growth" -- is accompanied by multiple parallel transformations shaping the country's trajectory.

Kwatra identified governance reform as the first major shift, calling it a "total government transformation" that ensures the benefits of growth reach the wider population.

"Transparency... inclusion of unbanked populations, giving them access to finance... financial inclusion," he said, are central pillars of this change.

Governance is also addressing multiple layers of security, including "energy security, economic security, food security", with a converged approach that delivers outcomes directly to citizens, he said.

The second transformation, he said, lies in infrastructure -- both physical and digital.

"The digital infrastructure space is... both an enabler of the transfer of the fruits of development, but is also the driver at the same time," Kwatra said, highlighting its dual role in growth.