An illiterate majority might/will always elect an illiterate leader. An educated one, however, will probably vote for an educated one. Getting out of clutches of poverty requires hardship and love for their country but when the countrymen are deprived of it, and are self-indulged, self-engrossed to make oneself richer, more affuluent than the fellow countrymen, the nation won't rise.

Not only the Industrial revolution in the USA but also deep love for their country along the countrymen's dream to become a global power made the USA one of the greatest countries in the world which was the case with UK, Singapore, Japan and all major developed economies. Countrymen respects their army, the leaders will give up their lives for their country but the case with developing countries is quite opposite as most of them are engrossed in corruption in different levels and just wants to stay lazy and make themselves rich.

Singapore had a great leader who took out his country from the clutches of poverty. Being such a small country - yet in a few decades they rose to prominence, to become one of the affuluent countries is indeed a big deal.

So why's that our India isn't rising to the top?

Possibly because most of the leaders have become a road blocker/bottleneck for any possible development. There is a major red tape in all levels of government operations and all the departments works in silos and their pecular ways of functioning an