India’s Development Trajectory as a Model for the Global South: Mandaviya at Doha Summit
At the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, India’s Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya presented India’s development path as an exemplary model for the Global South, emphasizing poverty reduction, social security expansion, and digital innovation. He highlighted that 250 million Indians have been lifted from poverty in a decade, with significant gains in food and health security, education, and women’s employment. Mandaviya also reaffirmed India’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and addressed geopolitical criticisms from Pakistan.
At the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Indian Minister Mansukh Mandaviya articulated India’s development achievements over the past decade as a practical and inclusive model for other developing nations. He cited lifting 250 million people out of multidimensional poverty through welfare programs, digital innovation, and persistent reforms. Mandaviya noted that 118 million schoolchildren now receive mid-day meals, over 800 million have food security, 425 million have health security, and 37 million low-income households have homes—a reflection of the government’s focus on Antyodaya, or empowering the most vulnerable. The minister highlighted the decline in unemployment from 6% to 3.2% between 2017-18 and 2023-24, and the near doubling of women’s employment rates, partly due to the mobilization of millions of women into self-help groups. Social security coverage in India has surged from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, earning international recognition with the ISSA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security. Mandaviya underscored the role of digital public infrastructure, including unique citizen IDs and direct benefit transfers, in ensuring efficient delivery of social programs. He affirmed India’s alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and climate commitments, and criticized Pakistan’s recent comments at the summit as attempts to distract from substantive social development discussions. Mandaviya defended India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty and reiterated that Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on India’s internal affairs, particularly regarding Jammu and Kashmir.
