India is one of the most important countries in the world and its success is crucial for the world, Christian Ketels, professor at Harvard Business School said today. Speaking at the release of a competitiveness roadmap carving out strategies for social and economic development for India@100 Ketels said that accelerating growth is not as tough as sustaining it is and India is among the few countries that has managed to have a high growth phase on a sustained basis.

However, he added that the focus must be on creating more meaningful jobs across the sections of the society and bringing it more equitable.

The blueprint was released in the capital today in the presence of Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Amitabh Kant, G 20, Sherpa, and Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, EAC-PM among others.

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“India’s performance has global ramifications. How India addresses its competitiveness challenges and harnesses opportunities will affect how different countries address challenges they face,” Ketels said, adding that no policy decided today will last for 25 years. “But if we manage to affect the thinking about India’s competitiveness and what it takes for this country to grow, then actually I think we have the opportunity to have an impact for many years into the future,” he said.

Harvard Business School Professor Michael E Porter in a video message said that the blueprint is not just about higher economic growth but also encompasses social development which include better health and education. He said India has enormous strength but at the same time, to come up with an overall plan is a challenging task given its diversity and complexities.

Debroy pointed out that the Indian development trajectory to reach higher levels of competitiveness, the focus must be on government policies, enterprises and individuals functioning in the environment.