Nitin Desai

Nitin Desai

Nitin Desai is a highly-regarded economist and chairperson of the advisory board at Desai & Associates. He had a long stint in government in India as secretary and chief economic adviser in the finance ministry.

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Nitin Desai

Three decades after 1991, it is clear India needs a new policy approach

Updated On: 10 Nov 2026 | 9:50 PM IST

With the 1.5°C threshold expected to be breached within years, India must pay greater attention to adaptation and resilience

Updated On: 13 Oct 2026 | 11:07 PM IST

A policy framework is needed to prevent India from becoming dependent on others and to retain some control over AI

Updated On: 15 Sep 2026 | 10:21 PM IST

India's young population can drive growth only if the government invests more in education

Updated On: 18 Aug 2026 | 9:57 PM IST

The role of the producer- and cooperative-controlled sector may be relevant for an emerging option that could be a substantial source of income for farmers

Updated On: 16 Jul 2026 | 8:19 AM IST

Perhaps the most important development challenge India faces at present is the revival of manufacturing growth and a greater prospect of achieving the 25 per cent target, articulated first in 2012 and

Updated On: 15 Jun 2026 | 9:56 PM IST

In a large country like India, the government can also consider the role it can play in directly influencing global prospects

Updated On: 12 May 2026 | 10:11 PM IST

Policy must now assume depoliticised global trade is over, with US-led politicisation meaning no country treats globalisation as an end

Updated On: 14 Apr 2026 | 9:45 PM IST

The principal medium-term, geopolitics-related challenge that India will face is the drift of the US towards becoming an isolated and arrogant global power, or, more accurately, a global bully

Updated On: 16 Mar 2026 | 10:30 PM IST

Persistent caste inequality, limited inter-caste mobility and unequal access to quality education and jobs continue to slow India's social modernisation despite decades of economic growth

Updated On: 16 Feb 2026 | 10:33 PM IST

As the Union Budget nears, the focus must shift to debt, deficits, and borrowing from household savings, and how these choices affect private investment, manufacturing growth, and jobs

Updated On: 26 Jan 2026 | 9:38 PM IST

China's growth highlights the need for India to shift policy support towards new firms, boost manufacturing, R&D spending, and empower states and cities to drive entrepreneurship and competitiveness

Updated On: 22 Dec 2025 | 11:27 PM IST

India must look beyond employment and export growth to innovation that can compete with the US and China

Updated On: 24 Nov 2025 | 11:05 PM IST

This narrative about India's development is described as an odyssey, perhaps because of the policy shortfalls and mishaps in the development voyage

Updated On: 03 Nov 2025 | 10:35 PM IST

The role of governments in influencing policy choices in internet governance has now been established. The previously dominant role of the US government has been diluted

Updated On: 13 Oct 2025 | 11:35 PM IST

The group of Non-Annex I countries can no longer be fully identified with the developing states, as 20 Non-Annex I countries are now included in the World Bank's list of high-income countries

Updated On: 15 Sep 2025 | 11:16 PM IST

At COP 30 this November, the primary goal must be to increase pressure on developed countries to move faster and more credibly on climate mitigation

Updated On: 18 Aug 2025 | 9:54 PM IST

A major area of success that was important for speeding up development in the post-World War II era was the trade agreement among nations

Updated On: 21 Jul 2025 | 11:03 PM IST

Public support for innovation must shift towards radical improvements in higher education and financial support for startups and new innovators

Updated On: 23 Jun 2025 | 10:52 PM IST

India, in fact, was a major exporter to West Asia, where two large empires - the Safavid and the Ottoman - provided a lucrative marketing area

Updated On: 26 May 2025 | 10:53 PM IST