Middle Class on the Brink: Debt, Dreams And A Race Against Time

From holiday dreams to basic household needs, India's middle class is caught in a mounting debt trap. EMIs are rising, savings are at a 50-year low, and gold loan defaults are sending alarm bells ringing. Household loans have surged to 43% of GDP, and salary stagnation since 2017 has stretched financial safety nets to breaking point. Despite government targets of Rs 15 lakh per capita income by 2047, present realities paint a sobering picture of distress and heavy dependence on credit. Can the middle class weather the storm before the next boom arrives?