India must ensure that promising defence firms do not fall into the valley of death between successful innovation and commercial scale
A necessary pivot on defence production
India must ensure that promising defence firms do not fall into the valley of death between successful innovation and commercial scale
What India must do to win the global investment race
India’s external buffers are strong, but rupee depreciation exposes vulnerabilities. Dependence on imported fossil fuels worsens current account deficits. Geopolitical turmoil and oil shocks cause inflation and currency depreciation. Market volatility can lead foreign investment to reverse, putting more pressure on the rupee. Temporary measures help briefly, but cannot replace structural reforms.
Five Wins And Five Frontiers For India
We've hit big sixes with data, entrepreneurship, energy transition, infra & defence. But have to face yorkers on urbanisation, manufacturing, tech sovereignty, space & human capital. India has what it takes to ace this test.
India's pharma ambitions are running into a regulatory capacity constraint
India's pharmaceutical industry has achieved extraordinary scale. We are the world's third-largest producer by volume, supply around 20 per cent of global generic medicines, and exported $30.5 billion of pharmaceuticals in FY25. Yet, India ranks only eleventh globally in pharmaceutical exports by value, with a share of around 3 per cent.
The coming of age of India’s industrial policy
After locking in on a “one value-chain” approach, the country now needs to confront the ownership question to ensure that a substantial part of the value doesn’t flow out as licence fees and royalties.
India's growth ambition demands policy certainty
India's economic fundamentals are strong. It offers scale, talent, infrastructure and a large market. But these advantages must be matched by a state that is clear, consistent and credible.
Why CDSCO and BEE have not kept pace with the industries they oversee
CDSCO still faces challenges like chronic understaffing, gaps in technical skills, weak lab infra and fragmented approvals. About a decade back, the organisation was recommended a benchmark of 1 inspector for every 50 manufacturing units. Yet, in end-2023, it carried a strength of barely 200 inspectors against a sanctioned strength of about 500 drug inspectors. Even its digitisation drive produced several overlapping portals that applicants report as glitch-ridden and difficult to comprehend.
India needs a new operating system for examinations
Technology cannot compensate for a weak institution; it only digitises the system’s fragility. India must rebuild NTA into a mission-mode assessment institution.
Ok, It’s Big Bang Time
With the right reforms, India can unleash free enterprise, attract capital and accelerate growth across sectors.
Cost of Doing Biz Mustn’t be Costly
India has done the hard work of improving ease of doing business. The next leap is to lower the cost of doing business across credit, land, inputs, logistics and compliance.
It is time to address the missing layer in India’s export strategy
Small Indian businesses must develop export competitiveness internally. The government can only act as an enabler at best.
Budget 2026-27: The next five reforms India needs to boost growth
Budget 2026-27: The next five reforms India needs to boost growth.
Keeping India open and secure
India’s success in manufacturing exports, particularly in electronics, autos, and renewables, depends on trade in intermediate and capital goods.
Roll back quality control orders on inputs to spur manufacturing
Such QCOs hold back the competitiveness of manufacturers and ending them could catapult our factory sector to a new orbit.
Ease Up, Quality Cops
The core question is not whether quality standards are essential; the challenge lies in whether QCO design, sequencing, and timing advance industrial competitiveness.
Biz Registration, a 24-Hr Challenge
India must build on its success, eliminate procedural bottlenecks, and enable business registration to be completed in 24 hours.
Post-GST The 10 Reforms India Needs In Trump Times
GST reforms should trigger the movement for wide-ranging reforms that enhance India's competitiveness.
Reform the economy to defeat tariff threat
Tariffs and global headwinds should not weaken India's resolve; they must galvanise reform.
Beyond tariffs: Reforms India needs to seize the global economic moment
To seize the global economic moment, India must act with clarity, speed and conviction across five strategic imperatives.