Every nation that has emerged as a global leader in the 21st century has done so by mastering technology and innovation. Economic strength today is no longer defined only by population size, military power, or natural resources. It is defined by how technologically fluent a country is—how deeply technology is embedded into governance, industry, education, and everyday life.
According to Aditya Shukla, this is where India faces its most serious challenge.
“India wants global leadership,” he says, “but leadership today belongs to countries that innovate relentlessly and prepare their people to live and work in a technology-driven world. On both counts, India is falling behind.”
Global Leadership Today Is Built on Technology and Innovation
The world’s dominant economies have understood one thing clearly: relevance depends on continuous technological advancement.
- China is automating factories at scale, integrating artificial intelligence into governance, logistics, and manufacturing, and investing heavily in robotics—so much so that robots now perform publicly as symbols of technological confidence.
- Japan has built global leadership through innovation in robotics, precision manufacturing, healthcare technology, and industrial automation.
- South Korea embedded technology into education, industry, and governance decades ago, creating a digitally fluent population.
- Germany aligned innovation with manufacturing, ensuring its workforce could adapt to advanced industrial systems.
- The United States continues to dominate global innovation through research ecosystems, digital infrastructure, and early exposure to technology.
These countries did not become global leaders by chance. They invested in innovation, technological capability, and people—systematically and early.
India has not.
Why India Is Lacking at a Structural Level
India often equates digital progress with online payments, mobile apps, or isolated platforms. But these are surface-level conveniences, not indicators of technological strength.
True technological advancement involves:
- automation and advanced manufacturing
- integration of technology into governance and public services
- widespread digital literacy
- innovation ecosystems that convert ideas into scalable solutions
On these fronts, India remains weak. Large parts of governance still function manually. Manufacturing automation is limited. Research and innovation penetration remains uneven. Technology has not yet reshaped productivity at scale.
Calling this situation “digital progress,” Shukla argues, creates a false sense of achievement.
“A country does not become technologically strong because transactions move online,” he says. “It becomes strong when technology transforms how it governs, produces, and competes.”
Even Where Technology Exists, Access Does Not
India’s challenge is compounded by a second failure: lack of access.
Even limited technological systems that exist remain unreachable for a large section of the population—particularly in rural and under-resourced regions.
- Less than one-third of rural households have reliable internet access
- Ownership of computers, tablets, or laptops remains extremely low
- Digital infrastructure is inconsistent across large parts of the country
This means that even if India accelerates technological development, millions—especially young people—remain excluded from participating in it.
“You cannot build a technologically fluent nation,” Shukla says, “when the majority of its population is locked out of technology itself.”
Why the Youth Access Gap Is a Strategic Risk
India has one of the world’s largest youth populations. This is often described as an advantage. But without access to technology, it becomes a liability.
In globally competitive countries, young people grow up interacting with technology as a norm—learning systems, interfaces, automation, and innovation early. In India, many young people encounter digital systems only when they are already expected to compete within them.
Through his work with the United Nations, and through leadership roles as President of the Global Youth Leadership Organization and a board member of the Narayani Foundation, Shukla has observed this gap repeatedly.
In villages across Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where tablets and laptops were provided to underprivileged communities, the difference was immediate. The issue was never ability—it was exposure.
“Once access is given,” he notes, “participation follows naturally. The talent was always there.”
Why This Matters for India’s Global Ambition
A country of 140 crore people cannot rely on scale alone. Global leadership today demands:
- technologically skilled citizens
- innovation-ready institutions
- digitally fluent governance
- a workforce capable of adapting to rapid technological change
Without these, population becomes pressure rather than power.
India cannot realistically compete with countries that innovate faster, automate earlier, and prepare their people better—no matter how ambitious its global vision may be.
A Necessary Reality Check
India’s challenge is not lack of aspiration.
It is lack of technological preparedness and inclusive access.
Until innovation becomes central to national strategy—and until technology reaches people at scale—India’s global leadership ambitions will remain rhetoric rather than reality.
As Aditya Shukla warns, global leadership is not declared.
It is built—through innovation, access, and people who are ready for a technology-driven world.
India still has time.
But time without preparation will not wait.
