A Nation Built, Yet Undermined
India today is not suffering from a lack of vision or resources. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government has delivered sweeping reforms, built world-class infrastructure, enabled digital inclusion at scale, and positioned India as a formidable global power. Whether it’s defense, manufacturing, health tech, or financial inclusion, the architecture for a modern India has been decisively laid down.
Yet, despite this momentum, every market correction, job loss, or industrial underperformance is met with the same tired reflex: blame the government. This knee-jerk response is not only intellectually dishonest—it is actively sabotaging the nation’s progress. The real drag on India’s growth is not policy paralysis, but execution paralysis. The problem lies not in governance, but in a widespread culture of dependency, complacency, and entitlement.
This analysis aims to shift the spotlight where it belongs: on the institutions, industries, and actors that continue to underperform despite unprecedented support. PM Modi Has Delivered – It’s Time for India to Break Free from Entitlement and Embrace True Governance!
Defense Sector: When Funding Isn’t the Problem, But Vision Is
India’s defense allocation for FY 2024–25 stands at ₹6.2 lakh crore, ranking it among the top three military spenders in the world. Out of this, ₹1.72 lakh crore is earmarked specifically for capital acquisitions—marking an unambiguous commitment to self-reliance and modernization.
The policy intent is crystal clear: 500+ items have been embargoed from import to boost domestic production. Aatmanirbharta in defense is no longer a slogan—it is national policy backed by serious investment.
And yet, results remain underwhelming. DPSUs miss delivery timelines, field outdated platforms, and struggle with systemic inefficiencies. The private sector, rather than building indigenous capabilities in critical domains like AI warfare, drone swarms, or hypersonics, seems more interested in lobbying for contracts than investing in R&D.
Whenever goals aren’t met, the blame is passed on to bureaucracy or regulation. But innovation cannot be outsourced to the government—it must be led by technocrats, scientists, and entrepreneurs willing to take risks and think long-term.
Strategically, India’s military posture is no longer about merely holding the line—it’s about shaping the regional order. The Indian Army, with over 1.2 million active personnel, is not only the second-largest standing force globally but also one of the most combat-experienced, with decades of operational engagement from high-altitude warfare in Siachen to counterinsurgency in Kashmir. When compared to superpowers, the U.S. military projects power globally through advanced technology and expeditionary capabilities, while China focuses on rapid modernization and regional dominance through asymmetric tools like cyber and missile systems. India, under Modi’s leadership, is carving its own strategic path—investing in indigenous defense manufacturing, advancing integrated theatre commands, and embracing next-generation warfare in AI, quantum, and space. With a nuclear triad in place, a blue-water navy emerging, and robust ties with QUAD partners, India is positioned as a pivot state in the Indo-Pacific. The strategic scaffolding is ready. What remains is for the rest of the Indian system—bureaucracy, industry, academia, and citizens—to shed inertia, match the tempo, and convert this potential into undeniable power
Innovation Ecosystem: Obsessing Over Valuations, Ignoring Real Value
India now hosts over 114,000 recognized startups, making it the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. With initiatives like Digital India, Startup India, and ₹14,000 crore mobilized under the Fund of Funds, the government has gone all in to nurture innovation. Platforms like UPI—which handled over 12 billion transactions in March 2024 alone—have revolutionized the way India transacts, all built and maintained by the state.
Despite this extraordinary foundation, India’s startup ecosystem remains shallow. The obsession with unicorn status, flashy IPOs, and VC valuations has eclipsed focus on hard-tech, deep-science, and core infrastructure innovation.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the semiconductor sector. With ₹76,000 crore pledged to create a chip ecosystem, the government offered global giants a golden opportunity. Yet, firms backed out citing “commercial unviability”—code for “we want high returns without high risk.” This isn’t entrepreneurship. It’s opportunism. India doesn’t lack policy support. It lacks private sector courage.
PLI Schemes: From Strategic Lever to Soft Target
The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, with an outlay of ₹1.97 lakh crore across 14 sectors, is arguably the most aggressive industrial stimulus India has ever seen. And the results are beginning to show: mobile phone exports have crossed $15 billion, and India now ranks second in global smartphone production.
But in several sectors, the scheme is being gamed. Many firms entered merely to claim incentives without investing in end-to-end value chains or building globally competitive capacity. When profits didn’t come easy, they exited, citing “policy confusion.”
The issue isn’t with the scheme. The issue is with those treating it like a subsidy program rather than a performance-linked opportunity.
The state opened the doors. It’s the players who chose shortcuts over scale.
Academia and Research: A Disconnect from National Purpose
It’s a common trope that India lags behind in innovation because of low public R&D spending. This is a myth. The Indian government accounts for nearly 57% of the nation’s total R&D outlay—a far cry from countries like the US and China, where private enterprise contributes over 70%.
Despite generous funding, Top India’s premier institutions produces low translational output. Research often remains academic rather than application-oriented. Commercial patents, tech transfers, and private partnerships are far too rare.
Meanwhile, the private sector contributes little to national R&D, choosing to ride global IP or depend on the state for technological hand-holding.
If India’s innovation engine feels stalled, it’s because academia and industry remain siloed, not because the government failed to provide capital or capacity.
The Cash Cow Syndrome: When the State Bears All the Risk
Across sectors, the same pattern recurs: profits are privatized, but losses are nationalized.
In the power sector, state discoms make populist promises, default on dues, and expect central bailouts.
In banking, bad loans from reckless corporate lending forced the Centre to recapitalize PSU banks to the tune of ₹3.1 lakh crore.
In agriculture, reform resistance persists—yet there’s a constant demand for MSP hikes and waivers, which cost the exchequer ₹2.17 lakh crore.
This is not governance failure. It’s elite welfareism disguised as crisis management.India is being drained not by a negligent state—but by an entitled ecosystem.
A Leader Who Builds, Not Just Speaks :-
In a political landscape crowded with rhetoric, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains singular: a doer. His leadership is not just transformative—it is relentless.
Consider the facts:
Make in India has revitalized domestic manufacturing, from defense to railways.
Digital India and the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) have brought financial and digital inclusion to the last mile.
PM Gati Shakti is transforming infrastructure planning through real-time geospatial coordination.
Swachh Bharat and the world’s largest vaccination campaign were executed with speed and scale unmatched globally.
Whether it was abrogating Article 370, executing the Balakot airstrikes, or crafting India’s rising diplomatic stature through over 100 international engagements, Modi has shown clarity, conviction, and consistency. This isn’t headline governance. This is legacy-making.
Sharp Takeaway : From Blame to Responsibility
India today stands at the threshold of becoming a global superpower. The government has put in place the frameworks, infrastructure, and vision needed to unlock its full potential.
But the burden of nation-building cannot fall on the state alone. The private sector must invest—not just in factories, but in ideas. Academia must shift from publishing papers to producing patents. Citizens must move from entitlement to engagement.
The narrative of blaming the government for every shortfall is not only lazy—it’s corrosive. If India is to truly rise, it will be because all its stakeholders decide to build, not just benefit.
Prime Minister Modi has done more than govern. He has delivered. Now it’s the nation’s turn to respond—with action, ambition, and accountability.India doesn’t need more handouts. It needs more hands that build.
Dr Nishakant Ojha- an Internationally renowned xpert in Foreign Affairs and Strategic National Security Issues .
