businessline's State of the Economy Podcast

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Rishi Ranjan Kala talks to Professor Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy at Indian School of Business (ISB) about how India’s green energy transition can and must include its poorest citizens, particularly those living in and around forest areas.  Chhatre argues that bioenergy is not just importa...

In this episode of the State of the Economy Podcast, businessline’s Subramani Mancombu speaks to Maninder Singh Nayyar, Founder and CEO, CEF Group about the urgent issue of soil degradation in India and its far-reaching economic, environmental, and health impacts.  Nayyar traces the roots of this degradation to the Green Revolution and excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. He expla...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Sanjay Kumar, MD & CEO of Rassense Pvt Ltd, to decode how commodity prices are shaping the future of India’s fast-growing food services sector — currently valued at $80 billion and projected to reach $150 billion by 2030.  Kumar provides a clear-eyed view of inflation trends across key food commoditi...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Mayur Karmarkar, Managing Director of the International Copper Association, about the future of copper in India’s economy.  While copper prices globally are experiencing a bearish phase, India’s domestic demand is on an upward trajectory, driven by construction, infrastructure, and industrial grow...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Dalip Singh speaks with Ashok Atluri, CMD of Zen Technologies, a pioneer in India’s simulation and counter-drone defence ecosystem.  The conversation dives into Operation Sindhoor, where Zen’s counter-drone systems played a vital role in India’s air defence against threats from Pakistan. From autonomous drone warfare and indigenous d...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Chirag Jain, Partner and Food Processing Industry Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat. As India steps into the 2025–26 agricultural year, the forecast of an above-normal southwest monsoon brings cautious optimism.  Jain outlines the opportunities and challenges facing the sector — from record production in...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s  Abhishek Law talks to Adarsh Narahari, Founder & Managing Director, Primus Senior Living, about India’s evolving real estate landscape with a focus on senior living.   Narahari explains how senior living is often misunderstood, thanks to outdated stereotypes. Far from being just real estate, Primus focuses on improving “health sp...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline’s Shishir Sinha speaks with  Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA, to decode recent high-frequency economic indicators and what they mean for India’s economic trajectory.  The episode begins with a look at the PMI manufacturing data hitting a three-month low and whether it signals any real slowdown. Nayar provides a nuanced view on the...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Amiti Sen speaks with Professor Abhijit Das, International trade expert and former head of centre for WTO Studies about the implications of the recently signed India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).   The discussion explores key highlights of the deal, including tariff reductions on whisky, greater market access for Indian textile and...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Ricky Vasandani, CEO and co-founder, Solitario Diamonds, to understand the factors fueling this surge — from affordability and innovation to growing consumer awareness. We dive into the dynamic world of lab-grown diamonds, a sector experiencing rapid growth and transformation in India.  The conversat...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline’s Subramani Ra Mancombu talks to Sanjiv Kanwar, Managing Director, Yara South Asia, about the state of India’s crop input industry amidst climatic challenges and growing sustainability trends. The sector experienced a difficult phase from late 2022 to mid-2024 due to prolonged drought and weak monsoons, which severely affected farmer de...

In this episode of  State of the Economy podcast, Businesslines’s Sanjana B speaks with Siddesh Naik, Country Leader, Data & AI Software, IBM India & South Asia and Rajesh Ganesan , CEO, ManageEngine to unpack how AI is transforming Indian industries.   From banking and healthcare to IT operations, AI is moving from pilot projects to full-scale deployment. The discussion covers AIOps, intelligent...

In this episode of The State of the Economy podcast by BusinessLine,  Abhishek Law speaks with Bamasish Paul, Co-founder, Managing Partner and CEO of Ethonhurst Capital Partners discussing the evolving landscape of India’s real estate sector.   The episode begins with Paul unpacking the nuances of Mumbai's ₹3 lakh crore redevelopment market, explaining how older cooperative housing societies are b...

In this episode of BusinessLine’s State of the Economy Podcast, host Ronendra Singh is joined by Som Kapoor, Partner and Leader for Future of Mobility and Retail at EY India, for a conversation on how India’s mobility sector is rapidly evolving. Som begins with a bold statement: “Mobility in India, all over the world according to me, will change more in the next 5 years than it’s changed in the la...

In this episode of the State of the Economy Podcast, host Sanjana B is joined by a distinguished panel of industry leaders—Ajay Prabhu, President, Technology Services, Quest Global; Mamatha Madireddy, Managing Director and Head of HSBC India Global Service Centres & Chairperson, Nasscom GCC Council; Jitender Mohan, Business Unit Head, Travel & Hospitality, WNS; and Srikanth Srinivasan, Vice Presid...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with NS Ramaswamy, Head - Commodity desk & CRM, Ventura Securities offers his insights into gold's performance, noting a 35% return over the past 15 months and forecasting a minor short-term correction before a continued bullish trend.  The podcast highlights how geopolitical tensions and concerns about t...

In this episode of State of Economy podcast, Shishir Sinha speaks with DK Srivastava, Chief Policy Advisor at EY India, on the latest high-frequency economic indicators and their implications for India’s growth. They dive into the recently released GST collection numbers, which reveal a seasonal pattern of spikes, especially driven by rural demand. As Srivastava explains, “Subject to some adjustme...

In this State of the Economy podcast, Aishwarya Kumar discusses the rapid rise of contract manufacturing in India and its connection to global trade shifts, particularly US tariffs. Amrit Acharya, co-founder, Zetwerk, and Nikhil Rao, VP - Operations, Flex India share their insights on the evolving landscape. Amrit highlights that the growth of contract manufacturing in India has been fuelled by a...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline's Subramani Ra Mancombu talks to Srideep N Kesavan, CEO of Heritage Foods Ltd. talk about the dairy sector in India, a key industry that is vital to the rural economy but faces several challenges. India is the world’s largest milk producer, generating nearly 240 million tons of milk annually. The country is home to over 60 million c...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, MRS talks to Haresh Karamchandani, MD and CEO of HyFun, about the impressive rise of India as the second-largest producer of potatoes in the world, having surpassed expectations with 60 million tonnes of potatoes produced, despite some weather-related challenges earlier in the planting season.  The podcast delves into India’s emergence as a key...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Subramani Ra Mancombu talks to Kishore Narne, ED, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, about the performance and outlook of gold and silver in the global market.  The podcast begins by highlighting the strong performance of gold, which has gained over 10% since the start of the year, and 40% over the past year. Narne explains the...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline’s  Shishir Kumar Sinha speaks with Ajit Banerjee, President and Chief Investment Officer, Shriram Life Insurance, sharing his views on the latest economic figures and the broader implications for India’s economic growth trajectory.  The episode starts with Banerjee discussing the latest GDP growth numbers for Q3, which show a 6.2 per ce...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Colin Shah, Managing Director of Kama Jewlery, to discuss the prospects for gold in the coming year. In this episode, we focus on one of the most important commodities in the world—gold. With fluctuating prices and uncertainty surrounding global economic policies, what does the future hold for gold in...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Subramani Ra Mancombu speaks with Praveen Jaipuriar, CEO of CCL Products India Limited, as they discuss the recent surge in coffee prices, which have increased by over 30% since the start of 2025. The conversation highlights the factors driving this price rise, including climatic challenges in major coffee-producing countries like Bra...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Abhishek Law speaks with Anshul Singhal, Managing Director of Welspun One, an integrated fund and development management platform pioneering India's first warehousing-focused alternative investment fund.   The podcast begins with discussing about India's rapidly expanding warehousing market. Singhal provides a comprehensive overview o...