The other day, one of our interviews told us a story that had been circulating about a comment Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath recently made. “We find the Europeans fighting for a 35-hour week,” Mr. Nath said, “and we in India are fighting for a 35-hour day.”

I think that speaks volumes about the ambition, energy and commitment to success here. Whether it was the Commerce Minister himself, real estate mogul Surendra Hiranandani or education activist Madhav Chavan, all have given the impression that “if only there were more hours in the day….”

We could all use more hours in the day (Although, given how much our crew has been working on this trip, I’m glad there are only 24.), but I think there is a strong sense among people here that India has a lot of work to do in order to fulfill its promise. They know what the problems are, and I sense an urgency to solve them so that India can continue along this growth path.

In Mumbai, where we’ve been since Wednesday, I have seen perhaps the strongest signs yet of these solutions in action. Today, we visited a slum redevelopment project, which involves clearing out a slum and building high rises where the slum used to be. The slum residents – who, if that slum existed prior to 1995, have a legal right to live there – are moved to a transition camp while the developers build over the land. Then, once the project is completed, the developer is required by law to reserve a minimum amount of space in that building for the slum residents to move back in free of charge. What was once a block of slums is transformed into a series of high rises.

The slum we visited today was only partially through this process, but I must say – to my surprise – even the undeveloped parts of the slum were actually pretty nice. People had TVs, nice refrigerators and a decent amount of privacy. The majority of the people there had permanent jobs. One man – who owns a car rental business – said he and his family had lived there for 40 years. He didn’t really have any complaints, but he said he was glad he would soon live in an apartment and that he could feel life getting better here. Granted, he lives in what he called a “high-end” slum, so I suppose he would feel the changes before those lower on the chain; several of the farmers and lower-end slum dwellers we spoke to said they haven’t felt the benefits of growth.

The redevelopment is already changing the city, both in its appearance and its standard of living. I didn’t see slum redevelopment like this happening in Delhi, though that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, and my guess is that it’s only a matter of time before slums across the country are cleaned up. But the democratic process, for all of its virtues, can slow down some of these large-scale projects, making them take a very long time. I see Mr. Nath’s point; India could use a few 35-hour days.

Dana Greenspon is part of the NBR team traveling India to report for the upcoming NBR series and special, "India's Promise." For more info, check out the India's Promise Travelog.