Srinagar, April 16 -- Prosperity rarely begins where it is most visible. Expanding cities, rising incomes, and growing industries are the outward signs of progress, but they are not its source. The deeper foundations of lasting prosperity lie in systems that function with consistency, in people whose capabilities steadily expand, and in the trust that allows societies to work together with confidence. Evidence from global institutions and leading universities points to a clear conclusion: societies flourish not through isolated success, but through the steady alignment of these underlying strengths.

Over the past several decades, development thinking has moved beyond the idea that growth alone defines progress. Analyses from the World Ba...