India, Sept. 19 -- When we talk about India@100, it is tempting to reach for numbers: $10 trillion, $20 trillion, or NITI Aayog's target of $30 trillion, with some stretching the vision to $40 trillion. But numbers raise a more fundamental question: What will a $30 trillion India mean for the everyday lives and economic opportunities of its citizens?

For its first 80 years, India's economic story was largely about catching up, building infrastructure, establishing institutions, developing capabilities and proving global competitiveness. The next two decades must be fundamentally different.

India now has a combination few economies can match: Scale, a large and relatively young workforce, digital public infrastructure and a growing techn...