businessline's State of the Economy Podcast

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Shishir Sinha speaks with Sandeep Jhunjhunwala, M&A Partner, Nangia Andersen LLP and Anil Talreja, Partner, Deloitte . They talk about the newly introduced Income Tax Bill of 2025, a key piece of legislation that promises to reshape India's tax landscape.  The experts explore critical aspects of the bill, including its primary objecti...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's  Chitra Narayanan speaks with Shiv Shivakumar, Operating Partner, Advent International and K Ganesh, Founder & Partner Growthstory.in are discussing the impact of quick commerce.   Ganesh, drawing from his BigBasket experience, explains how quick commerce addresses India's urban challenges, including population density and supply chai...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast businessline’s Abhishek law is joined by Niranjan Hiranandani, Chairman, NAREDCO, to discuss key challenges in the Indian real estate sector, particularly around affordable housing.   Hiranandani shares his insights on the current state of affordable housing, which has experienced an unexpected 25% drop in numbers, something he has never seen in...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Dalip Singh speaks with Lt Gen Kapil Aggarwal (Retired), a former Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers about the pressing issues in defence funding and reforms. With India's defence budget hovering around 1.9-2% of GDP for FY 2024-25, the conversation tackles whether this allocation is sufficient to meet modernisat...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Subramani Ra Mancombu talks to Anand Ramanathan, Partner and Consumer, Products and Retail sector Leader, Deloitte India, about the agriculture sector's performance and expectations for the upcoming fiscal year.   With strong growth forecasted at 4-5% compared to the previous year's less than 1.5%, industry experts discuss how fav...

  In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Rishi Ranjan Kala speaks with Naveenn Khandelwal, CEO of BrightNight India, a leading renewable energy company based in the U.S. with a strong presence across India, Australia, and Bangladesh. Under his leadership, BrightNight has developed a portfolio of over 7 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity and raised over $3 billion for v...

In this episode of businessline’s State of the Economy podcast, Sanjana B speaks with Debashish Bhattacharyya, Chairman of PanIIT Alumni India, about India’s rise as a global powerhouse in tech talent.  Bhattacharyya traces the evolution of India’s IT sector, noting, “We are actually poised at almost the leading edge of the technology... our guys, our people are at the forefront, whether sitting i...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's K R Srivats speaks with Dr. D.K. Srivastava, Chief Policy Advisor at EY India, to discuss the economic challenges currently facing India, with a focus on both macro and microeconomic policies and their effects on the common man.    The episode starts with Srivastava explaining the key factors behind the slowdown include insufficient c...

In this episode of businessline’s State of the Economy podcast, Vishwanath Kulkarni sits down with K. Mathew Abraham, President of the United Planters Association of Southern India, and Managing Director & CEO of Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company (P) Ltd . Together, they explore the current state of India’s plantation sector in 2024, discussing its challenges, opportunities, and what the futur...

In this State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Prabhudatta Mishra talks to Ashok Kumar Singh, former Director of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, about the unique perspectives on India’s agricultural landscape and the challenges ahead as the nation aims to achieve food grain self-sufficiency by 2047.   Singh delves into cutting-edge solutions, including climate-resilient cr...

In this episode of BusinessLine’s State of the Economy Podcast, Shishir Sinha speaks to Rashesh Shah, Chairman of Edelweiss Group, to explore the key economic trends shaping India and the global landscape. The conversation begins with a broad overview of the current economic climate. Shah emphasizes the mixed signals emerging from high-frequency indicators like GST collections and the Purchasing M...

In this State of the Economy year-end podcast on FMCG, businessline's Meenakshi Verma Ambwani speaks to Naveen Malpani, Partner and Consumer Industry Leader at Grant Thornton Bharat, to discuss the sector’s performance in 2024 and its outlook for 2025. FMCG industry is facing key challenges of inflation and urban slowdown. At the same time, green shoots in rural demand and rise in quick commerce c...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Jyothi Datta speaks with Sudharshan Jain, the Secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), as they reflect on the achievements and challenges of India's pharmaceutical industry in 2024.   As the world’s pharmacy, India continues to make a global impact, providing medicines to over 200 countries. Jain outlines key hig...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, S Ronendra Singh talks to Hardeep Singh Brar, senior VP, Marketing & Sales, Kia India , to discuss the outlook for the automobile industry in 2024 and beyond.   The conversation explores the challenges and opportunities within the sector, including the impact of government investments, layoffs, and the unpredictable weather patterns on the indus...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast businessline’s Abhishek Law talks to Saurabh Runwal, Director, Runwal Realty, about the evolving real estate landscape of 2024.   The discussion begins with a focus on residential real estate, highlighting how the sector has experienced remarkable growth post-COVID. Runwal sheds light on the surge in urban demand, particularly in Mumbai and Pune,...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, Suresh P Iyengar talks to Ravleen Sethi, Director, CareEdge Ratings, about the ever-evolving landscape of the cement sector. The discussion provides a comprehensive analysis of the industry’s performance in FY24 and projections for FY25 and beyond.  Sethi sheds light on the challenges faced by the cement sector in FY25, including adverse weather...

In this year-end episode of the State of the Economy podcast on renewable energy, M. Ramesh, Associate Editor, businessline, examines the remarkable milestones achieved by India's renewable energy sector in 2024. From record-breaking additions in solar and wind capacity to the growing prominence of open access markets and hybrid auctions, 2024 has laid the foundation for a greener future. The podc...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Rishi Ranjan Kala speaks with Anujesh Dwivedi, Partner at Deloitte India, who brings over two decades of experience in consulting and the power sector. Dwivedi provides an in-depth look at the major achievements of 2024, including India’s record-breaking peak power demand of 250 GW and significant strides in renewable energy.   The co...

In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Jyothi Datta talks to Biswajit Dhar, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (Retd) and Distinguished Professor Council for Social Development to reflect on two decades of India’s product patent regime and its profound impact on the pharmaceutical landscape and public health.   The conversation begins Dhar explaining how the 1970 P...

In this episode of the State of the Economy year-ender Podcast, KV Kurmanath discusses the challenges and opportunities AI brings to the IT sector with Sangeeta Gupta, Senior VP & Chief Strategy Officer of Nasscom. "The pace of AI innovation is growing, and in India, there are almost 240 plus generative AI startups," says Sangeeta, highlighting the rapid evolution of the AI sector in India and the...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline's Jyothi Banthia speaks with Jinesh Shah, Managing Partner of Omnivore to discuss the major trends that have shaped the startup world throughout the year, and what the future may hold for 2025. Jinesh, with his extensive experience in venture capital, provides expert commentary on standout funding trends, emerging sectors, and the shift...

In this episode of businessline’s State of the Economy yearend podcast on the telecom sector, S Ronendra Singh speaks to Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), on the performance and challenges of India’s telecom industry in 2024, as well as its outlook for 2025.  Kochhar highlights how telecom has become a foundational industry supportin...

In this State of the Economy podcast, businessline’s Sanjana B talks to Ravi Kumar, Assistant Vice President of IT at CDSL and Rohan Vaidya, Area Vice President, SAARC & India at CyberArk about the rapid growth of cybersecurity in India and the specific threats faced by the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.  According to industry data, India's cybersecurity market is expect...

In this episode of the State of Economy Podcast, businessline’s Dalip Singh speaks with Major General (Dr) Ashok Kumar (Retd.), Director General of the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, about the year’s defining moments for India’s defence sector. As Director General of the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies, General Kumar provides invaluable insights into the recalibration of India’s defence strate...

In this year-end episode State of the Economy podcast, Srivats KR is joined by Rishi Agrawal, Co-founder & CEO of TeamLease Regtech, to discuss the critical issue of Social Security for Gig Workers in India.   As gig work grows, the need for structured welfare measures is becoming increasingly urgent. The conversation explores the progress made in 2024, key developments in India’s gig economy, and...