New Delhi / Hyderabad, Jan 9 (Mayank Nigam) Prof Amitabh Kundu, Senior Fellow at WRI India, declared India as the fastest-growing country globally during his Foundation Day Lecture, “India Towards Inclusive & Sustainable Development, Opportunities & Challenges,” held at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) on Tuesday. The lecture marked the 27th Foundation Day celebrations, with Mumtaz Ali, Chancellor, MANUU, presiding over and Prof Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, delivering the inaugural address Prof. Kundu, as chief guest, emphasized India’s rapid growth, projecting it to be the third-largest economy within the next 10 to 15 years.
He discussed the opportunities and challenges for inclusive and sustainable development, highlighting the importance of addressing inequalities in access to the labour market, gender, caste, and religion. A graph from Brookings predicted India’s growth by 2028, but Prof. Kundu warned that unchecked inequalities could hinder this progress. Chancellor Mumtaz Ali, in his remarks, emphasized the importance of peaceful coexistence alongside economic and educational progress. He urged the need for respecting diverse religious beliefs while collectively contributing to the country’s advancement. The Chancellor expressed efforts to invite the President of India to MANUU’s upcoming convocation. Prof Ainul Hasan, in his inaugural address, acknowledged the contributions of the university’s teaching and non-teaching staff, retired employees, and alumni. He highlighted MANUU as a representation of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s vision and announced the establishment of a School of Law. The event also felicitated retired teachers and non-teaching staff for their dedicated service.