Break Point

India's middle class - 40 million income-tax filers earning between `5,00,000 and `1,00,00,000 annually - has reached a critical inflection point. The consumption-driven growth model that powered India's post-1991 economic rise is collapsing under the weight of three simultaneous shocks: technological disruption eliminating white-collar employment faster than new jobs emerge, wage stagnation eroding purchasing power as inflation for several essential products and services ramps at double digits, and explosive household debt levels now exceeding those of the US and China.