New Delhi, March 12 -- India stands at a defining demographic moment. By 2047, nearly 137 million of today's youth will enter the workforce. This represents a rare demographic window that must be leveraged if India is to realize its aspiration of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047.

This ambition rests on human capital.

Sustained economic growth will depend not only on infrastructure and innovation, but on workforce productivity. At its foundation, this means ensuring that every child builds strong literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills, and leaves school prepared to participate meaningfully in a dynamic economy.

Yet, the data presents a sobering reality. Every second child in India lacks basic reading proficiency by age 10....