The High Commissioner of India to Sierra Leone, Baisnab Charan Pradhan, has highlighted India’s remarkable progress over the past 11 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing the country as one of the fastest-growing major economies and a committed partner to the Global South.
Speaking on India’s 79th Independence Day, Mr Pradhan outlined reforms and achievements that have transformed India’s economy, innovation, and global standing since 2014. He noted that India has moved from 130th to 63rd place in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index and increased its start-up ecosystem from 500 to 1.6 million, including 118 unicorn companies.
“From being among the ‘Fragile Five’ economies, India is now the world’s fourth-largest economy,” he said, adding that Bloomberg and the IMF project India, alongside China and the USA, to drive global growth between 2025 and 2030.
Over 500 million people have joined the formal banking system through the Jan Dhan Yojana initiative. Major improvements in infrastructure, manufacturing, and services have positioned India as a hub for investment and innovation. On climate action, India co-founded the International Solar Alliance in 2015, launched the Global Biofuels Alliance in 2023, and already generates half of its electricity from non-fossil sources.
The High Commissioner also pointed to social programmes such as the Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY health scheme, which has provided 345 million health cards and supported over 65 million hospitalisations, and the National Food Security Act, which benefits over 800 million people.
India’s achievements in space exploration, including the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission and the Aditya-L1 solar mission, as well as improvements in literacy, clean water access, and women’s empowerment, were also highlighted.
Mr Pradhan reaffirmed India’s commitment to Sierra Leone, saying:
> “Our journey over the last 11 years has been one of inclusive growth, innovation, and resilience. As we work towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, we remain determined to strengthen our partnership with Sierra Leone for the mutual prosperity of our peoples.”