India, May 7 -- We often discuss India's economic trajectory through numbers and milestones-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, infrastructure investments, workforce projections. But a recent conversation brought home a truth I have long believed--spreadsheets track progress, but people define it.

I was reminded of this when I recently read about Gauri from UP's Shravasti district. Her story captures the quiet revolution powering India toward the Viksit Bharat vision. Like millions of women in rural India, Gauri's life was a cycle of survival. With a family to support and her husband's daily wage stretched thin, her sewing talent remained untapped. In 2022, she enrolled in Empowering Women Entrepreneurs (EWE) programme, a three-year par...