Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book Advantage India: Reshaping the Future for an Equitable World at Uprashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on 23 October 2026. The book is written by Anil K Antony and published by Rupa Publications. The Vice President said Advantage India is Advantage to Humanity and linked the book to India’s transformation in technology and growing global influence.
What Is Advantage India About?
Advantage India is a non fiction book that explains how India moved from managing shortages after Independence to becoming a confident power shaping the twenty first century. The book argues that India’s rise comes from steady building of digital systems, domestic technology, strong institutions and active diplomacy, and that this strength can help create a fairer world order.
The book is divided into two broad parts. The first part looks inside India. It covers data, artificial intelligence (AI), silicon sovereignty, adaptive defence, space, Digital India, and the role of women and youth. Silicon sovereignty means the capacity to design and produce semiconductor chips within the country instead of depending fully on imports. Adaptive defence refers to armed forces that adjust quickly to new tools such as drones, cyber systems and space based support.
The second part looks outside India. It presents India’s view of global affairs and a roadmap towards 2047, the year India will complete 100 years of Independence. This section places India in the age of AI and space technology and discusses how India can respond to fractured geopolitics, tariff shifts and weak multilateral bodies. The publisher lists the full title as Advantage India: Reshaping the Future for an Equitable World Order.
| Area Covered in the Book | What the Book Examines |
|---|---|
| Digital foundations | Aadhaar, Jan Dhan Yojana, Digital India, SWAYAM and DIKSHA in education |
| Technology power | AI, data for development, chip making and space missions |
| Security | Adaptive defence and self reliance in critical systems |
| Society | Women led growth, youth energy and demographic dividend |
| Global role | Diplomacy in a multipolar world and the road to 2047 |
Who Is Anil K Antony?
Anil K Antony is a technology entrepreneur turned politician who serves as National Secretary and National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (as of October 2026). He is the son of former Defence Minister A. K. Antony and joined the BJP in April 2023 after leaving the Congress.
Anil Antony was born on 17 December 1985 in Kerala. He studied Industrial Engineering at the College of Engineering Trivandrum from 2003 to 2007 and completed a Master of Science at Stanford University in the United States from 2007 to 2009. Before entering active politics, he worked with multinational firms including Cisco Systems, Beceem Communications and Grant Thornton.
Anil Antony entered active politics with the Congress in 2019 and handled digital and social media work in Kerala. He left the Congress in January 2023 after a dispute over his comments on a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots. He joined the BJP in the presence of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and V. Muraleedharan and was first appointed a national secretary in July 2023.
The BJP fielded Anil Antony from Pathanamthitta in Kerala in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. In August 2026, BJP president Nitin Nabin retained him in the new team of 16 national secretaries and gave him charge of Nagaland and Meghalaya. He also writes opinion columns and is listed as a Munich Young Leader linked to the Munich Security Conference.
Release at Uprashtrapati Bhawan and Vice President Remarks
The Vice President of India, C. P. Radhakrishnan, released the book at Uprashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Uprashtrapati Bhawan is the official residence of the Vice President. Radhakrishnan took oath as the 17th Vice President of India in September 2025, with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also serves as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
At the release function, the Vice President said that all sovereign countries are equal and must be treated equally. He stressed that innovation and technological progress must benefit all humanity and should not remain the property of one country alone. He summed up this message in the line Advantage India is Advantage to Humanity.
The Vice President said the book captures India’s remarkable transformation. He pointed to India’s civilisational heritage, democratic traditions, demographic dividend, growing economy, robust institutions and expanding technological capability as the country’s unique strengths. He also referred to India’s journey under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the book examines the opportunities before the nation in a fast changing world.
Rupa Publications and Book Details
Rupa Publications is the publisher of Advantage India. Rupa was founded in 1936 by D. Mehra at College Street in Kolkata, then Calcutta. The company is headquartered in New Delhi and has sales centres in cities including Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Jaipur. It is known for fiction, non fiction, biographies and books on politics and current affairs.
The publisher’s catalogue lists Advantage India as a hardback in English with 320 pages and a price of ₹795. Its ISBN is 978-93-7957-548-7 and its publication date is 5 July 2026. The book carries a foreword note from Stanford University professor Arogyaswami Paulraj, who describes it as a timely roadmap for India’s growth ambitions.
Early reviews have focused on the book’s central claim that infrastructure gives the best returns when it connects isolated people to markets and services. Reviewers have noted its use of examples such as Aadhaar for identity, Jan Dhan bank accounts for financial inclusion, and digital learning platforms such as SWAYAM and DIKSHA. DIKSHA is the national digital platform for school education, while SWAYAM offers open online courses for college and school learners.
Why the Book Matters in the Road to 2047
The book connects with the national goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Viksit Bharat means a developed India by the centenary of Independence. The author argues that scale, technology and diplomacy together give India leverage. Scale comes from a large population and market. Technology comes from public digital systems and space and defence capability. Diplomacy comes from working with many partners in a multipolar world instead of depending on one bloc.
The timing adds weight to the release. India is debating self reliance in chips, wider use of AI in governance and education, and stronger roles for women and youth in growth. A book released by the Vice President draws attention to these debates and places them in one frame. For readers, it offers a single account of how domestic schemes and foreign policy link to each other in the run up to 2047.
Key Takeaways
- Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released Advantage India: Reshaping the Future for an Equitable World on 23 October 2026 at Uprashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
- The book is authored by Anil K Antony, National Secretary and National Spokesperson of the BJP (as of October 2026).
- The book is published by Rupa Publications, founded in 1936 and headquartered in New Delhi.
- The book has 320 pages, carries ISBN 978-93-7957-548-7, and was published on 5 July 2026 with a price of ₹795.
- Its first part covers AI, silicon sovereignty, space, Digital India, adaptive defence, women and youth, while the second part outlines a roadmap to 2047.
