New Delhi, May 24 -- Viksit Bharat is not a distant ambition; it is an active economic sprint being run on a worsening track. As record-breaking heat domes breach 48deg Celsius, the Indian economy is at risk. Productivity could evaporate as people labour under a 'metabolism tax,' a levy that no administration can cut but weighs GDP growth down.

That the biological effect of heat and humidity can throttle growth is slowly becoming apparent. Just as an engine slows if its cooling system fails and it begins to overheat, a vast proportion of the Indian workforce is experiencing exhaustion.

The human body's biological cooling system of evaporative perspiration breaks down if humidity and heat are both high-and if 'wet-bulb' temperature rises...