Why Can’t India Do What China Has Done?
In recent years, China’s economic rise has left many in awe. The country’s GDP growth has been phenomenal, and its rapid transformation from a poor, centrally planned economy to a global economic powerhouse has been a subject of great interest, not just for economists, but for everyone. India, which was also expected to follow a similar path, has not been able to match China’s success, leaving many to wonder – why not?
In my opinion, the biggest reason for India’s lag is the lack of a unified approach to development. Unlike China, which has been driven largely by a single, top-down plan, India’s development has been more decentralised. While this has given rise to various regional powers, it has also led to a lack of a coordinated approach to development, resulting in a mismatch between the Centre and the states.
Another major reason is the historical legacy of colonial-era policies, which have left India with significant infrastructure gaps. China, on the other hand, has been building its infrastructure aggressively since the 1990s, which has given it a significant head start. India, too, has been investing in infrastructure, but the pace has been slow, and the quality of what has been built has been patchy.
Moreover, China has been able to leverage its large domestic market to drive growth, with huge consumer demand fuelling domestic production and driving innovation. India, with its diverse and fragmented market, has not been able to replicate this effect.
But, there is hope. With the rise of digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Big Data, India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog many of the traditional challenges. In fact, AI has the potential to help India overcome some of the infrastructure gaps, by enabling more efficient use of existing infrastructure, and creating new ones.
This is where Deepseek, a new AI-powered platform, comes in. Deepseek uses machine learning and natural language processing to help businesses make better, more data-driven decisions. With its platform, companies can analyze vast amounts of unstructured data, identify patterns and insights, and make predictions. This is particularly useful in areas like supply chain management, where data-driven insights can help reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve customer satisfaction.
In particular, Deepseek’s AI-Powered Insights solution can help Indian businesses overcome the challenges of integrating data from multiple sources, and provide real-time visibility into their operations. This can help build better supply chain management, improve product development, and create more effective marketing strategies.
In the manufacturing sector, Deepseek’s AI-Powered Quality Control solution can help identify defects and anomalies, reducing the risk of product recalls and improving product quality. This is particularly important in a country like India, where the manufacturing sector is a significant contributor to the economy, and quality control is crucial.
In healthcare, Deepseek’s AI-Powered Diagnostics solution can help diagnose rare diseases, and improve the accuracy of diagnoses. With a large population like India’s, where healthcare infrastructure is still developing, this can be a game-changer.
In retail, Deepseek’s AI-Powered Customer Insights solution can help businesses better understand their customers, and provide more targeted marketing and promotions, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
In short, while India may not have been able to match China’s rapid growth, there is no reason why it cannot use AI and other digital technologies to leapfrog many of the traditional challenges and achieve rapid growth. With solutions like Deepseek, Indian businesses can overcome the lack of a unified approach, infrastructure gaps, and other challenges, and achieve success in today’s connected world.
Sridhar Vembu is the CEO of (Zoho Corporation).
