Few countries arrived at Davos with as much momentum as India \u2013 strong growth numbers, deepening reforms, and intense investor curiosity. Yet, the country stands at a crossroads. Sustaining this rise will demand tough decisions and faster execution.<\/p>\n
That was the focus of a session developed in collaboration with the India Today Group and moderated by Group Vice-Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief Kalli Purie, where leading economists, CEOs and ministers broke down what India needs to do next.<\/p>\n
INDIA\u2019S MOMENT OF MOMENTUM<\/p>\n
Gita Gopinath, Indian-American economist and the Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics at Harvard University, began by acknowledging the progress that has already reshaped the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was impressive, the digital infrastructure build-out is impressive. What was done with the Goods and Services Tax, including the simplification recently, extremely helpful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Kalli Purie asked her one of the session\u2019s central questions: \u201cWhat do we need to do to keep this momentum going?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gopinath was clear. \u201cTo keep the momentum going and to keep raising the capital income and getting to the 2047 goal of Viksit Bharat, I think that\u2019s the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
The economist also added that India enjoys a strong foundation today. \u201cNot just with growth where it is, but also with inflation being at the low single-digit numbers. That is a good spot for India.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the bottlenecks are familiar and stubborn. \u201cIt is a tremendous challenge here in India to acquire land, to have clean land titles. And that is a constraint on growth. It is a constraint on manufacturing,\u201d she said, adding that judicial reform is \u201cabsolutely critical.\u201d<\/p>\n
On labour, she pointed to the mismatch between India\u2019s demographic dividend and the contribution of labour to growth. \u201cOnly about 30% of India\u2019s growth has come from labour,\u201d she said. She welcomed the new labour laws, but stressed India must think much bigger if it wants to plug into global supply chains.<\/p>\n
She also underlined the urgent need to improve human capital. \u201cThere is a mismatch between what jobs can be created and the skill of the labour force. Scaling is super critical,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
INDIA’S POLLUTION CRISIS HURTING GROWTH<\/p>\n
Kalli Purie followed up with a more pointed question: \u201cBeyond land and labour, what else is holding India back?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gopinath didn\u2019t mince words: \u201cPollution is a challenge in India. It is far more consequential than any impact of tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Citing World Bank data, she noted that about \u201c1.7 million lives are lost every year in India because of pollution.\u201d She said this is not only an economic drag but also a deterrent for global investors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have to live there and the environment is not of the kind that you feel is good for your health, it holds you back,\u201d Gopinath said, calling for tackling pollution \u201con a war footing.\u201d<\/p>\n
On global uncertainties arising from the churn caused by US President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs and near-daily threats, Gita Gopinath said that the world had crossed a structural threshold. \u201cWe have permanently moved away from the previous 80 years of the global economic order. We are not going back.\u201d<\/p>\n
REFORMS STILL WAITING TO HAPPEN<\/p>\n
Kalli Purie turned to Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, with a key question framed around execution: \u201cWhat more do we need to truly turbocharge India\u2019s growth from here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mittal was optimistic. \u201cIndia is already in a great spot,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will get there to be number three. And if I put a spiritual metaphor around it, I would say it\u2019s written in the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, he stressed the need to scale. \u201cWe will get to number three, but we need to get to 25 to 30 trillion dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
For industry, he said the fundamentals are in place. \u201cMy tribe, the business community, needs an enabling environment, needs a committed government, needs stability. All that is available now.\u201d<\/p>\n
What concerns him is the global environment. \u201cWhat can derail us is only the competitive intensity of the world right now,\u201d he said, adding that trade deals will be crucial.<\/p>\n
Mittal also reflected on how much India had changed. \u201cI\u2019ve seen a plethora of books, handbooks, manuals, standing outside DGTD, CCIE, hundreds of departments getting one licence. Oh, that\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He urged the government to trust Indian companies more. \u201cTransfer more faith onto us. Have faith. We will do the right things. We will be more compliant.\u201d<\/p>\n
India\u2019s advantage was clear, Mittal underscored. \u201cIndia is the continent of consumers. We are a market for every country in the world. And we are now producing for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
A GLOBAL CEO\u2019S VIEW OF INDIA<\/p>\n
How is India viewed today from a CEO\u2019s lens, Kalli Purie asked IKEA\u2019s global chief for a global perspective.<\/p>\n
Juvencio Maeztu Herrera, CEO and President of Ingka Group (IKEA), answered with both warmth and clarity. \u201cI am emotionally biased with India,\u201d he said, recalling his six years in the country.<\/p>\n
But he was clear about India\u2019s strengths. \u201cIndia is a big market. It\u2019s a young population. It\u2019s also a democracy. India has the possibility to leap from agriculture to the most developed AI much faster than any other country.\u201d<\/p>\n
He praised the way India engages with investors. \u201cWhen you face blocks, you knock the door, and you are heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herrera added that smoother harmonisation with global standards would help India grow even faster. Referring to furniture production, he said, \u201cOne percent. Can we agree India deserves more than one percent? Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also shared advice for CEOs entering India. \u201cDon\u2019t come to India for the short-term payback. India doesn\u2019t need you. Engage with Indian stakeholders. Invest time. Try to understand India from inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS GAINING MOMENTUM<\/p>\n
Kalli Purie put a focused question to the government \u2013 \u201cWhat steps are being taken to make it easier to do business in India?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for IT, Railways and Information and Broadcasting, spelled out the reforms. \u201cIn the last ten years, 1,600 laws have been removed. Thirty-five thousand compliances have been removed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He explained that many older laws came from a period when governments were inward looking. \u201cThose laws are being rewritten,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The results, he added, are visible. \u201cTo get a telecom tower permit, it used to take 270 days. Now it takes seven days.\u201d<\/p>\n
A railway terminal that once took six years now takes two and a half months. India\u2019s criminal justice system and telecom legislation, both dating back to the 1800s, have been replaced with modern frameworks, he added.<\/p>\n
TACKLING TARIFFS<\/p>\n
Kalli Purie shifted the conversation to global headwinds, asking how India intended to safeguard its momentum amid some of the highest US tariffs.<\/p>\n
Vaishnaw said India had held firm. \u201cWe are a very resilient economy. Our exports have increased despite the tariffs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Electronics exports, he noted, are now the third-largest export category. He said India is expanding into new geographies and signing \u201cbalanced, healthy, mutually complementary trade agreements.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the world now sees India as \u201ca very trusted value chain partner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The panel left little doubt about where India stood. The opportunity is real. The momentum is real. The challenges are no longer hidden. And what India does next will determine whether the promise of 2026 becomes the reality of 2047.<\/p>\n
India Today Group\u2019s Kalli Purie wrapped up the session with a final thought that captured the spirit of the discussion: \u201cIndia is a force for good, and it\u2019s written in the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
– Ends<\/p>\n
Published By: <\/p>\n
Koustav Das<\/p>\n
Published On: <\/p>\n
Jan 21, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few countries arrived at Davos with as much momentum as India \u2013 strong growth numbers, deepening reforms, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":424674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,173082,46,27548,177602,20137],"class_list":{"0":"post-424673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-davos-2026","12":"tag-economy","13":"tag-india-third-largest-economy","14":"tag-india-today-group","15":"tag-world-economic-forum"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/424673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/424674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=424673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=424673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}