Is development only about global image or about people on the ground?

This question stayed with me after what I witnessed last evening at Rajiv Chowk in Delhi.

India is often described as a fast-growing economy and a rising global power. Over the past decade, the country has hosted major international events such as the G20 Summit and high-level global technology meetings. Leaders from countries like the United States, France, Russia, and China regularly engage with India in trade, defence, and strategic partnerships. Infrastructure projects, digital expansion, and economic growth figures are frequently highlighted as signs of progress. On paper, India’s global standing has clearly strengthened.

But development cannot be measured only through summits, foreign policy engagements, or skyscrapers. It must also be judged by how the most vulnerable citizens are treated.

It's real

At Rajiv Chowk, officials from the New Delhi Municipal Council were removing street vendors. One elderly man stood there, folding his hands, requesting that his belongings not be taken away. He promised he would not set up his stall for some time. Yet his goods were thrown aside. He was humiliated in public. People watched. Some recorded videos. Many, like me, felt helpless.

Authorities often justify such actions as part of “beautification drives” or anti-encroachment measures, especially before major events. While regulation of public spaces is important, the human cost cannot be ignored. For many street vendors, that small stall is their only source of income.

India already has the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which was created to protect vendors from arbitrary eviction and to ensure proper vending zones. However, implementation remains inconsistent.

The larger issue is not whether India should aspire to global respect. It should. The concern arises when image takes priority over dignity. True development is not about hiding poverty; it is about reducing it. It is about ensuring that even the poorest citizen feels secure, heard, and respected.

A nation becomes truly developed not when it impresses foreign delegates, but when it protects the dignity of its own people.