From The Editor

Dr Gursharan Dhanjal
Vice-Chairman
SKOCH Group

For too long, global indices have shaped perceptions of nations – defining how governance, inclusion and progress are viewed. Yet these indices are largely opinion-based, built on limited understanding and fail to reflect India’s unique realities. The SKOCH Centre of Excellence finds that many global rankings misrepresent facts and ignore Indian contexts. To reclaim our narrative, India must undertake its own research and develop indigenous indices that mirror its ground realities.

Current global benchmarks overlook several transformative Indian achievements. They fail to consider the scale of digital inclusion driven by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which has revolutionised everyday transactions. They also ignore the deep-rooted empowerment of women through the Panchayati Raj system – where over a million women participate in governance at the grassroots. Such omissions distort India’s story and perpetuate biases in global assessments.

Equally important is the growing role of states in shaping India’s development and finances. The federal structure envisages a partnership between Centre and states, not a hierarchy. Today, cooperative and competitive federalism drive innovation and accountability. Another defining challenge of our time is digital sovereignty. In a rapidly changing geopolitical environment, India must safeguard control over the digital infrastructure that sustains its economy and society – from data generation and processing to undersea cables, data centres and cloud platforms. Protecting this digital ecosystem is as vital as securing physical borders.

At the heart of this vision lies ModiNomics – an approach that links inclusive growth with national sovereignty. It emphasises that India’s internal and external independence must be preserved while pursuing development. Sovereignty is not merely political; it extends to economic, technological and digital domains. As the global order evolves and the voice of the Global South grows stronger, India is poised to lead. To do so, it must define its own metrics – rooted in data, reflective of its diversity and true to its ethos. Building Indian indices is not just about measurement; it is about reclaiming the power to tell India’s story, in India’s own voice.