Business Standard Manthan: Road map for making India future-ready

At the third edition of the BS summit, FM Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, will be among the thought leaders to deliberate on India's tremendous relevance across areas in a volatile geopolitical landscape

“The Great Reset: India in a New World Order” was the central theme last year of Manthan — the annual thought leaders’ summit of Business Standard. That was prophetic, as India emerged stronger against the backdrop of unimagined global turmoil. We are moving from “The Great Reset” to “Making India Future Ready” as the cornerstone of the third edition of Business Standard Manthan — the go-to destination for who’s who in the world of business, technology, economy, politics and more. Spread over two days, February 24 and 25, the summit in New Delhi will be a melting pot of ideas.

 

As global developments revolve around trade, tariff and technology, speakers at Manthan are expected to engage in these critical areas to take the debate forward. In less than a month after the Budget, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will offer her perspective on India’s economic future in a fireside chat on February 25. Suman Bery, vice-chairperson of the NITI Aayog, will speak on “A Path to Modern India” on the inaugural day of Manthan.

 

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is expected to deliberate on the journey of India’s many trade deals in his conversation with Business Standard on the opening day of the summit. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will give the audience a glimpse into the infrastructure of tomorrow on February 24. 

 

On the same day, Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would enlighten the gathering on the dynamics of the farm economy. On the concluding day of the summit, Union New and Renewable Energy and Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi is expected to focus on the relevance of new energy at a time when data centres’ energy demand is set to rise exponentially in sync with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI).

 

Only last week, India hosted the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam — the premier convention centre in New Delhi. Business Standard Manthan, at the same venue, follows the New Delhi Declaration at the AI summit with 88 signatories. With AI dominating the narrative of the future, the two-day Manthan promises to carry on the flavour of the time. Back-to-back fireside chats and panel discussions with senior ministers, economists, domain experts and industrialists will look at India’s future in a holistic way. The brainstorming is sure to lead to plenty of discussion on whether and how AI can rewrite the future of India.