MANILA -- India is a paradox. The successes of a select group of sectors -- from information technology to industr and services -- are creating an urban elite showcased as the builders of a modern and vibrant country on the cusp of joining the major economic powers of the world.

Yet, just outside their corporate campuses and air-conditioned shopping malls, 840 million Indians continue to survive on less than $2 a day. An increasing gulf between these groups poses a major social, political and economic dilemma.

The challenge is threefold: India must create rapid growth in the number and size of its islands of excellence; it must strengthen the development of bypassed regions and peoples; and it must expand the ability of the poor to improve their economic position. India's future will depend on how well and how quickly it meets these challenges.