# Pandemic and war created favourable environment for India to emerge as economic power: new book 2026-08-21T05:51:45+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A new book by B.A. Prakash, former chairperson of the Kerala State Finance Commission, argues that the global disruptions from COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war have created a favourable environment for India to emerge as a world economic power. Titled Emerging Indian Economy: COVID-19 Pandemic, Ukraine War and Changing Global Economy, the book points to deglobalisation, shifts in international trade, and India's digital infrastructure as key advantages. It notes that post-COVID, India became the world's most populous country, the largest remittance recipient, and fastest-growing economy among the top ten nations. The book credits the 1991 structural reforms and post-2014 economic policies as foundations for a big development push. However, it also calls for structural changes to address persistent rural poverty, regional disparities, unemployment, farmer distress, and climate change. The book will be released on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, at the YMCA in the city. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The book's optimism rests on India's post-pandemic growth, digital public infrastructure and demographic dividend. Yet the structural weaknesses it flags, rural poverty, regional disparity, unemployment, remain unresolved despite the reforms cited. The debate is not whether India can become an economic power but whether it can do so without first fixing the domestic dual-economy fault line. The book launch itself, on 18 August 2026, will test whether the author's prescription finds traction beyond academic circles. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Leads with the book's optimistic argument and treats the claims as straightforward reporting, with no counterview or critical questioning. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: B.A. Prakash, COVID-19 pandemic, India economy, Russia-Ukraine war, World Bank Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/pandemic-and-war-created-favourable-environment-for-india-to-emerge-as-economic-power-new-book/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/pandemic-and-war-created-favourable-environment-for-india-to-emerge-as-economic-power-new-book/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/