Is Gujarat really India's most "successful" state- or just its most disciplined one?

Gujarat runs on the lowest state debt in India (14% of GSDP, way under the 20% safety ceiling), posts a revenue surplus while most Indian states run deficits, and single-handedly produces 17% of India's manufacturing output and two-thirds of its chemical exports- all with just 5% of the population.

But scratch the surface, and the same state that built India's largest private port, its first commercial semiconductor fab, and the world's biggest oil refinery also has some of the lowest college enrollment rates, rising inequality, and a growth model critics have called everything from a masterclass in industrial policy to "crony capitalism."

Watch the full State of States playlist: State of States

🔔 Subscribe for a new state, decoded, every episode.