'Jugaad is our strength': Vedanta's Anil Agarwal vouches for the 'unique skill' that sets Indians apart

Who in India can honestly ever say that they have not made some jugaad to get something done? One can scoff or one can praise, but for Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, jugaad is the ‘unique skill’ that sets Indians apart. This unique skill set, he believes, will push the Indian economy to the top 3 by 2030.

In a LinkedIn post, Agarwal said that he was ecstatic when he read about India surpassing the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world. He said a fair share of the credit goes to the youth who have assumed the role of innovators and dreamers in the growth story.

Agarwal reminisced about his childhood when carrying bag-loads of groceries would become a task. “Today, thanks to our innovative start-ups like Zomato and Zepto, my 7-year-old granddaughter can order food with a touch of a button,” he said. These companies have become a day-to-day need in our lives, he said.

He also lauded the start-up ecosystem and said, “And this is not it. I want the world to know that we are just getting started.”

“I have been lucky to interact with some of these top minds through various university visits and I can tell you that they are extremely passionate about taking India forward,” said the industrialist.

“As we move ahead on this path, one thing we must remember is that unique problems call for unique solutions. Frugal innovation, or as we love to call it, ‘Jugaad’, has always been one of our inherent strengths amongst Indian business leaders. We must take advantage of this unique skill set we have that sets us apart from the world. By looking at what we have achieved already, I can proudly say that by 2030, we will be in the top 3!,” he said.

Last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) figures showed that India had surpassed the UK to become the fifth largest economy in the last quarter of 2021. It is ranked below just the US, China, Japan, and Germany now, with the UK moving to the sixth place.

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