Ancient Insights, Modern Solutions: Exploring Kautilya's Economic Principles for India's Future Prosperity

This paper examines Kautilya's Arthashastra, an ancient Indian text, and its relevance to contemporary Indian economic policy-making. The authors explore key economic principles, including taxation, trade regulation, agriculture, and resource administration, and their effectiveness during the Mauryan Empire. They compare these principles with contemporary India, evaluating how Kautilya's principles could address issues like taxation reform, infrastructure development, poverty alleviation, and sustainable resource management. However, the authors acknowledge the challenges of implementing Kautilya's economic policies in the modern context, such as political constraints, globalization, and technological advancements. They also discuss criticisms and limitations of the Arthashastra economic theories. The paper proposes practical strategies for integrating Kautilya's economic philosophy into Indian policy.