The coronavirus pandemic has not impacted India's long-term growth trajectory although it has delayed it and in this decade, the country will lead the global growth rates, Tata group chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Tuesday.
Speaking at tech giant Microsoft's annual flagship event, Future Ready, he said it should be a national priority to enable access to healthcare and education using digital infrastructure for all in the country, considering how the acceleration of digital adoption during the pandemic has created a divide as many people, who do not have the means and access, have been left behind.
"There are many things going for India. I think as the economy fully opens up post the pandemic, I believe that our growth will continue to get stronger.
"We'll get the full benefit of the consumer spend," Chandrasekaran said.
He further said, "the pandemic per se has not really impacted the long-term growth trajectory of India.
"It has delayed it because the fundamental factors, whether it is formalisation of the economy, the youth or more people coming into the middle income, all of these are totally intact."
In the current global context, he said, "I think the Indian situation is pretty unique and India's growth is going to be more fundamentally important going forward.
"Because even if the global growth is going to be good, it's going to be a little bit behind the expected levels of 2021.
"So given that, I feel India has a larger role to play."