Key question: What do we have to do to make India a prosperous country by 2047, when we will celebrate 100 years of political independence? That's only 25 years away.

In this fast-changing world, it is unrealistic to have a concrete 25-year plan. Instead, the book lays out the key issues that must be resolved in the next 10-15 years (Phase 1). This will lay the foundations of prosperity. After that, India can move quickly in the remaining years (Phase 2) on its path to prosperity, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise.

These fundamental issues are complex, and their workable solutions have yet to be agreed upon.

For example, in India, the average marginal and small farmers are poor. What will their children and grandchildren do? They can never become well-off on the small piece of land the family has. Plus, they go to lousy schools, and...