India's relentless spirit, independent outlook its great democratic dividend: Times Group MD

India's vibrant democracy and demographics, its independent outlook and its relentless spirit despite challenges within and outside, is its "great democratic dividend", said Vineet Jain, managing director of The Times Group.

"India is not an overnight miracle. It is a masterpiece in the making," said Jain at the 8th edition of the Times Network India Economic Conclave on Thursday.

"Firm as ever in our dedication to grow, despite challenges at home and disturbances around us we continue to march undeterred, unwavering and unstoppable," he added.


India's $3 trillion economy is the sixth largest in the world. The country is the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity and has the world's third largest unicorn ecosystem, following the US and China.

"We are an ancient civilisation but not one that's paralysed in the past,"

Jain said India is among the countries to recover fastest from the Covid19 pandemic. He cited a recent paper from the International Monetary Fund that said it has rapidly pulled people out of extreme poverty.

"We have achieved all of this within 75 years of becoming a sovereign democracy.

And that's the most remarkable and heart warming aspect of this exciting journey," said Jain.

Talking about India's democratic processes, Jain called it a "a noisy and argumentative political process" whereas "some countries have grown by stamping out dissent and adopting a brutal top down approach to grow"

"On the world stage too, we have friends but are not beholden to any one country," he added. Jain said India's path has neither been easy nor a shortcut.

"And it may have slowed us down at times but that is also what has made our ascent deliberate, durable and deep."

"And it has earned us the respect and admiration of the world What's more, we are only getting started, specially if we make our demographics work in our favour. It is this relentless spirit that the world sees as the greatest dividend of our democracy."