Book Review : Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations by Nandan Nilekani & Viral Shah

May 8, 2023
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1. Introduction

The book Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations is divided into three sections: “India’s Challenges,” “India’s Opportunities,” and “India’s Solutions.” The authors discuss various challenges facing India, such as poverty, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. They also explore the opportunities presented by India’s large population and growing middle class. Finally, they present their solutions for solving India’s problems through technology and innovation.

Rebooting India is an excellent book from Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah which serves as a template for the transformation of India and is an eye-opener. A lot of practical ideas and thoughts give you a fresh idea of India. It is not only about the journey of Aadhar but how it is a game changer in the transfer of subsidies to billions of Indians.

The book is about transcending challenges from the difficult terrains of Indian politics and bureaucracy besides the hurdles encountered in getting policy implementation acceptable across all political spectrums.

The book identifies a dozen initiatives where a series of citizen-friendly, high-tech public institutions can deliver low-cost solutions to India’s grand challenges. Based on their learning from building Aadhaar, the world’s largest social identity program

Nandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur, bureaucrat, and politician. He co-founded Infosys and served as the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, which implemented the Aadhaar program. Viral Shah is an Indian computer scientist and entrepreneur who was instrumental in the development of the Julia programming language.

2. About this book

Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah give a roadmap as to how Aadhar could help India realize its aspirations to improve the lives of billions of Indians. They have touched upon social security, education, health, GST, power and energy, justice delivery, our road network, and more. I see this as something which is simple to read and understand. Indeed the authors should be lauded for explaining so varied areas in simple language

The ideas presented by both Nandan & Viral are well-researched and explain the details of implementation strategy that could transform the way we move forward in a globalized economy. The graphic and pictorial presentation reinforces their ideas and is well presented in simple language.

The ideas discussed are pragmatic and provide insights into the Fin-Tech revolution that can happen by leveraging Aadhaar and NPCI in addition to other areas related to Democracy, Healthcare, Justice Systems, Education, and Power.

We can see how the implementation of eKYC, Aaadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) has benefited millions of people

Some of the primary takeaways from the book include:

India needs to invest in education and skills training to create a skilled workforce that can compete in the global market.
The government needs to provide basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and water to support economic growth.
The use of technology can help solve many of India’s problems, such as corruption, lack of access to healthcare, and financial inclusion.
The government should focus on creating a business-friendly environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

The key argument presented in the book is that India has the potential to become a global economic powerhouse but needs to address its challenges and leverage its opportunities. The authors argue that technology can be a key driver of this transformation and that the government and private sector need to work together to achieve this vision.

3. Positives about Rebooting India

The book provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing India.
The authors provide practical solutions for addressing these challenges and leveraging opportunities.
The use of technology as a key driver for transformation is a unique perspective.

4. Missing in this book

The book does not address the political challenges facing India, such as corruption and bureaucracy.
The authors do not provide a detailed plan for implementing their solutions.

5. Other recommendations

6. Who should read this?

Anyone interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities facing India.
Entrepreneurs and policymakers interested in leveraging technology for social and economic transformation.

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