How can a common man contribute to India's growth and development?

You know what constitutes a good nation, its people.

Its pointless to talk about changing the system , joining civil services so as to change the functional aspect of the governance. You are no kejriwal. 

The economic growth , political role , security , general well being are all determined by the people residing there. In a way you are contributing to the society by following your civil rights, and being a good citizen. 

You would be having a decent qualification , with a good job prospect but you still feel guilty that you are not doing enough for the society around you. 

But if you plan to contribute further so as to help the country develop you can start with the small things.

• Pay taxes - If not anything else, PAY YOUR TAXES! Not just Tax Evasion(illegal), even Tax Avoidance(legal) should be avoided.

• Don't buy gold - 27% of our imports consist of Gold. People buy gold and keep them in their lockers. Keep your money in circulation because 1 rupee spent by you today is creating a value of 10 rupees somewhere else.

• Use less electricity/ Install Solar panels - We do not have ample supply of electricity in India. Less usage by you makes more electricity available for farmers and industries.

• Use your right to vote and use it wisely - Every single vote is important. Instead of sulking about the fact that the elected leaders are good for nothing, vote for people who can make a difference. And this time, cast your vote, don’t vote your caste. Elect a leader who is honest, compassionate, bold and secular. 

• Walk/cycle whenever you can - 66% of our imports are for Oil. We cannot produce more oil. All we can do is use less. Less import reduces the Current Account Deficit (CAD) which improves India’s credit ratings. Better credits ratings are essential to attract foreign investment.

• Teach under-privileged children - By 2021, 64% of population of our country will be in the age group of 15-59 years, which is the usual working age. They will be able to contribute to the society and to the economy, only if they are educated.

Buy Indian and Save India - Try purchasing Indian made products and brands so that these companies  grow and significantly the overall scenario of the Indian companies increases and leads to the growth of our country.

• Start a company. Create jobs! - As mentioned above, 64% of our population will be in the working age by 2021. Even if they are educated, it will only increase the burden on our economy if they don’t have jobs. Find new business ideas and its viability, if good enough invest in them & help  create jobs for the country. Have great potential of growth.

Think before you breed - For India, population explosion is actually a curse and is damaging the economy more than it is helping. If possible, adopt children.

Don’t let anything (religion or society) oppress women - Women are constantly being met by demands from society telling them how to look and how to act. This pressure does not let them unlock their full potential.  Let women work whenever/wherever they want and pay them equally to men.

Donate, help the needy - Try helping the poor people and donate for the social cause even if out of one billion people of the country if quarter of them start donating and contributing it will have a great impact and we will be able to eliminate poverty to a great extent.

I would request you to please note that these points are not Fundamental Duties nor will anyone force you to do any of these (except paying the taxes and voting, of course). These are just some of the things you CAN do to improve the economy of India.

Remember: LITTLE ACTIONS MAKE DIFFERENCE!!!!!