78 years of Bharat’s Independence: A Journey of Progress, Faith and Perseverance

Seventy-eight years ago, Bharat’s tryst with destiny was anchored in an experiment, an experiment of forging a sovereign, democratic republic from the embers of colonial rule and the traumas of Partition.

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This journey since 1947 is not just the story of a nation, but of a living policy state, where rules, reforms, and relentless innovations have shaped the world’s largest democracy and continually remade institutions to meet the challenges of history and stand the test of time.

Each era brought with it new challenges, from feeding a young population to opening up closed economic doors, responding to external threats, and most recently, keeping pace with the velocity of a fast-digitising and globalised world. In each of these moments, it was this policy state through law (vidhi), development (vikas), and public trust (vishwas) that held the centre.

This report, Vikas, Vidhi, Vishwas, traces India’s policy journey across four pivotal arcs. From the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 to the Green Revolution and the nationalisation of banks, Part A examines the formative years (1947–1991), when policies established the framework for a welfare state and independent economy.

Part B explores the revolutionary upheaval in liberalised India, where the citizen–state contract was redefined by rights-based laws such as the National Food Security Act and the Right to Information Act. Part C analyses the Modi-era paradigm (2014–2025), which has placed a premium on infrastructure, scale, and strategic autonomy. Examples include the Gati Shakti plan, the GST, the Atmanirbhar Bharat defence initiative, and the recent introduction of Sarvam AI as a turning point towards technological sovereignty.

Part D concludes with a reflection on institutional resilience the capacity of India’s democratic system to adapt and persevere in the face of political challenges such as the Emergency.

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For all official and academic purposes, use the following as a citation, which follows the Chicago Manual Style.

Agrima Kushwaha, Alina Jacob, Ameya Gupta, Himanshu Golhani, Jaypal Kalra,

Khushi Joon, Poshika Mukku, Rishav Saha, Sanskriti Gaur, S. Priti Chhanda,

Tanu Nagar and Vaibhav Pandey

“Vikas, Vidhi, Vishwas: 78 Years of Policy-Driven Nation Building”

THE GEOSTRATA, August 15, 2025.

BY COVERING PRIME MINISTER

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