Economic Survey: India Must Shift to 'Strategic Indispensability' Amid Global Shifts

• The Economic Survey 2025-26 urges India to move from import substitution to 'strategic indispensability' in a fractured global order.
• Authored by CEA V Anantha Nageswaran, the report highlights the need for India to be deeply embedded in global value chains.
• Focus areas include semiconductors, with Rs 1.60 lakh crore investments, and task-specific AI to avoid an 'AI debt bomb'.
• India needs a National Input Cost Reduction Strategy for critical minerals, essential amidst weaponized supply chains.
• The survey calls for aggressive industrial policy and private sector R&D to bridge the 'strategic power gap' and secure trusted partnerships.

Why It Matters: India must become strategically indispensable in global value chains, focusing on key sectors and R&D for future growth.