For Morepen Laboratories Ltd., FY25 was not only about sustaining growth. It was about setting the stage for the next phase of its expansion. The company’s investor presentation revealed clear signs of progress across all verticals including medical devices, APIs, and branded formulations.
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Habson Communication Shines at ACEF 2025 With Eight Awards for Purpose-Led Campaigns
Recognition across innovation, CSR, and data-driven marketing underscores the agency’s growing leadership in Asia’s customer engagement space
At the 14th edition of the ACEF Global Customer Engagement Awards, Habson Communication and its digital wing Living Brands delivered a breakout performance, collecting eight awards across categories ranging from innovation to CSR excellence. These wins position the agency among South Asia’s most strategically relevant marketing firms in 2025.
One of the most celebrated campaigns was Hygiene for All, Power for Her, created for personal care brand Harpoon. It won five awards, including two Golds for Creative Word of Mouth Marketing and Effective BTL Activity, as well as three Silvers in Effective Word of Mouth, Technology Integration, and CSR. The campaign centered around equitable access to hygiene products while promoting women’s empowerment. With live activations, storytelling, and measurable impact, it was seen by jurors as a model for brands integrating social values into commercial narratives.Habson also earned recognition for its campaign Poribeshbandhob Ranna, Shurokkhito Bhobisshot, executed for Walton Home & Kitchen Appliance. This kitchen-focused initiative was rooted in ecological sustainability and smart cooking solutions. It secured two Silver awards for Market Research and Experiential Marketing. The campaign was lauded for translating complex consumer data into immersive on-ground experiences that resonated across urban and regional markets. A third campaign, Smartly Kori Nijer Kaaj, also by Walton, earned a Bronze for its nuanced take on personal productivity through smart home solutions.
The ACEF Global Customer Engagement Awards are considered one of Asia’s most credible platforms for evaluating innovation in branding and consumer connection. With participants from India, Sri Lanka, UAE, and Bangladesh, the awards reflect benchmarks in measurable impact and storytelling efficiency.The 2025 edition of the summit operated under the theme of strategy meeting innovation. Each of Habson’s awarded campaigns reflected that balance, with data-fueled execution backed by human insights. Whether through digital platforms, grassroots outreach, or experiential immersion, the agency demonstrated a deep understanding of purpose-driven marketing.Speaking after the summit, Habib Rahman, Curator at Habson Communication, explained that the agency prioritizes relevance over volume. He noted that the next generation of brand audiences is drawn to authenticity, and that Habson’s creative philosophy is to produce communication that not only informs, but transforms. The wins validate this ethos and further signal the agency’s intent to lead with responsibility and resonance.
With an expanding client base, an award-winning digital unit, and campaigns grounded in real-world relevance, Habson is solidifying its role as a creative agency that blends purpose with precision. Its success at ACEF 2025 confirms that brands today require more than visibility. They need meaning.
This feature is published by Prittle Prattle News, featuring you virtuously, under the editorial leadership of Smruti Bhalerao.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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India’s Zebu Raises $1M to Deliver Next-Gen Military Drones with Indigenous Capabilities
Hyderabad-based defense-tech startup backed by Bluehill VC to accelerate production and deployment of four unmanned systems for armed forces
Zebu Intelligent Systems, a rapidly emerging name in India’s defense innovation landscape, has secured $1 million in pre-Series A funding. The round was led by Bluehill VC, a Chennai-based venture capital firm focused on deep-tech investments. The funding will be used to fast-track the production and deployment of four indigenous unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) developed by the company for various divisions of the Indian armed forces.
Founded in Hyderabad in 2021 by Santosh Balajee Banisetty, a Ph.D. in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Zebu has grown into a vertically integrated defense-tech company. It specializes in AI-enabled UAVs designed for both combat and surveillance applications. Its portfolio includes systems for the Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, and Army border regiments. Each system is tailored to meet specific use-case scenarios and battlefield demands.One of Zebu’s flagship developments is a net-capture drone designed to neutralize hostile UAVs mid-air using a six-cartridge mechanism. This system, currently undergoing radar integration tests, has been engineered to trap unauthorized drones without collateral damage. For coastal applications, Zebu has built a search and rescue UAV capable of withstanding high-wind and water immersion conditions, with built-in AI for return-to-base operations. The company’s third offering is a swarm-enabled combat drone developed for the air force, equipped to execute coordinated strikes. Finally, Zebu has designed a tethered aerial surveillance platform for the Army, capable of delivering live border intelligence in continuous operations.The company’s fully indigenous manufacturing model has allowed it to develop all key components, including electronic speed controllers, camera gimbals, custom battery packs, and a mission-grade ground control station (GCS). Its GCS platform has already been tested in live operations with the Coast Guard and is slated to replace foreign-imported command systems currently in use
Zebu’s work aligns directly with the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. It has filed seven patents, secured two trademarks, and is actively scaling its IP portfolio with new subsystems and mission software. In 2024, the company was awarded a Guinness World Record for achieving the longest drone endurance in the under-5kg category.
The $1 million raised will support Zebu’s next set of field deployments and initiate production of its UAVs at scale. The startup is also preparing for a $5 million Series A round to expand internationally, with key export markets identified in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Investor Sridhar Parthasarathi, General Partner at Bluehill VC, said the company represents a significant opportunity in a global counter-drone market projected to cross $11 billion by 2030. He added that India’s defense ecosystem benefits tremendously from such ground-up platforms built by domestic engineers and field-tested on Indian soil.Zebu’s impact is not limited to defense. The company has already commercialized its battery packs and GCS systems for industrial drone inspections, unmanned logistics, and large-area mapping. Several Indian and US-based OEMs are currently piloting Zebu’s subsystems for civilian applications. Its dual-use strategy gives it a path to scale both within and beyond government contracts.
The founder, Santosh Balajee, emphasized that sovereign defense technology is no longer optional, but foundational. He said the goal is to ensure India’s defense modernization is driven by local innovation, reducing dependency on imports and strengthening national security. Zebu’s ongoing hiring of a Chief Business Officer and domain experts in procurement and systems integration further signals the company’s intention to scale across defense and enterprise sectors.
Zebu now stands among India’s most promising hardware-first defense startups, focused not only on product development but also on ecosystem building. Its technology roadmap, grounded in indigenization, is designed to deliver scalable solutions for both military operations and commercial drone markets. With this round of funding, Zebu enters a phase of operational maturity, ready to export India’s next-generation unmanned systems to global theaters.
This exclusive editorial is published by Prittle Prattle News under the editorial direction of Smruti Bhalerao, featuring you virtuously.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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ACEF Global Customer Engagement Summit 2025 Celebrates Strategic Brilliance and Innovation
14th edition concludes in Mumbai with global delegates, award-winning campaigns, and cross-sector insights from Asia, UK, and the UAE
The 14th edition of the ACEF Global Customer Engagement Summit and Awards concluded in Mumbai, bringing together an accomplished gathering of brand leaders, agency heads, marketers, and digital innovators from across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Organized by Akash & Angel Enterprises in collaboration with Gigatainment, this year’s event reinforced the critical role of strategy-led innovation in building meaningful customer relationships.
The 2025 theme, Strategy Meets Innovation: The Future of Customer Engagement, sparked compelling conversations led by keynote speakers and marketing practitioners from various geographies and industries.
One of the most anticipated sessions was delivered by Pavan R Chawla, Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com, who presented an address on The Next Frontier of Engagement: Where Media, Data, and Human Connection Converge. He emphasized how content personalization, platform fluidity, and cross-media storytelling are shaping the next wave of consumer trust.From Sri Lanka, Amitha Amarasinghe, CEO of the Asia Pacific Institute of Digital Marketing, shared research-led insights on how conversational marketing is evolving in consumer-first economies.A high-impact panel moderated by Fabian Trevor Cowan, Chief Growth Officer at Ideacafe.agency, explored customer engagement playbooks from different industry sectors. The panellists included:
- Preeti S, CEO, ZtoA Marketing Solutions
- Sharmila Sandeep, General Manager , Marketing, Murugappa Group
- Atul Razdan, Chief Marketing Officer, BIG FM
- Sirimevan Senevirathne, CMO, Pan Asia Bank, Sri Lanka
Recognising Industry Trailblazers and Emerging Talent
The 2025 awards ceremony received over 560 entries from five countries, recognizing outstanding campaigns and professionals committed to measurable, high-impact engagement.
Notable Individual Excellence Honorees:- Sam Lourduraj (Radio Mirchi), Jainee Dedhia (Nippon India MF), Ryan Dsouza (Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC) , Young Engagement Professionals Under 35
- RJ Sahil (BIG FM) and Mirchi Chakshuu , Apprentice Jockeys of the Year
- Abhishek Sharma, Bhopuwala Creative Solutions , Best Voiceover for Audio Ads
- Ayushmann Khurrana (Fever Network) , Celebrity Jockey of the Year
- Shivkumar Kannan, Aditya Birla Sun Life MF , Customer Engagement Professional of the Year
- Aneesh Suresh, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC , Data-Driven Engagement Specialist
- RJ Rani and RJ Pihu (BIG FM), Abhishek Sharma , Podcast Professionals of the Year
- RJ Jeeturaaj (ENIL), Hrishi K (Fever Network) , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Metro
- RJ Adhishh and RJ Astha (Mirchi Love) , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Non-Metro)
- RJ Guru, RJ Pak Pak Deepak, Mirchi Kenkemi , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Regional)
Grand Prix Titles Awarded:
- OOH Agency of the Year , dentsu Posterscope
- Radio Station for Customer Engagement , BIG FM and Radio Mirchi
- Customer Engaged Brand , Automobile , Tata Motors
- Customer Engaged Brand , BFSI , Pan Asia Banking Corp (with Arc Digital) and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance
- Podcast Agency of the Year , Bhopuwala Creative Solutions
- Advertising Agency of the Year , Interspace Communication Pvt. Ltd.
- BTL Agency for Customer Engagement , Mindwave Media Pvt. Ltd.
These recognitions were adjudicated by a multi-country jury with professionals from Franklin Templeton UAE, Dialog Axiata, Wipro, ITC, and more. The advisory board included members from HDFC Bank, The Digital Fellow, NDB Bank Sri Lanka, and Mobius Agency Thailand.
Partner Institutions and Event Execution
The summit was produced by Akash & Angel Enterprises and supported by stakeholders across multiple countries.- Academic Partner: SIES College of Management
- Email Marketing Partner: Kenscio Digital
- Media Partners: MediaBrief.com, TV9, Prittle Prattle News, customerengagement.net
- Consulting Partner: The Digital Fellow
A Pan-Asian Platform for Customer-First Strategy
The ACEF Global Customer Engagement Summit continues to serve as a regional bridge for ideas, strategy sharing, and actionable learning. With each passing year, it reaffirms the need for marketing ecosystems that value long-term trust, human-centred content, and the measurable power of engagement science.
Full List of Winners , 2025
Watch Highlights & Sessions
This exclusive editorial coverage is published by Prittle Prattle News, featuring you virtuously under the leadership of Editor Smruti Bhalerao.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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NLB Services Launches BrandPipal, Targets $25 Million Revenue and 20X Growth in Martech by 2030
With over 75 experts and a 500-member vision, the firm eyes 1800+ GCCs, MSMEs, and global expansion under Ashima Kakar’s leadership
Mumbai, May 6, 2025 – In a major strategic shift, NLB Services, a leading global digital talent and workforce solutions firm headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, has announced the launch of BrandPipal, its new standalone marketing and employer branding venture. With a sharp focus on Martech, data-led storytelling, and digital marketing, BrandPipal aims to capture the growing global demand for integrated branding solutions, and scale its operations twenty-fold within five years.
BrandPipal begins operations with a 75-member founding team and a mandate to scale to over 500 professionals. The firm targets a revenue milestone of $25 million by 2030. With a defined play across Global Capability Centers (GCCs), MSMEs, and enterprise clients in North America and the LATAM region, it marks NLB Services’ strategic foray beyond its core talent business into a full-fledged marketing and brand-building ecosystem.
“The launch of BrandPipal is a reflection of our long-term vision to evolve as a full-spectrum business solutions partner,” said Sachin Alug, CEO of NLB Services. “As Generative AI and automation reshape the business landscape, the need to blend data-backed insights with authentic storytelling has never been stronger. BrandPipal will help our clients lead with purpose and scale with precision.”BrandPipal enters the market at a time when the branding landscape is undergoing rapid transformation. With more than 1,800 GCCs already operational in India and an estimated 400 new centers expected to launch in the next five years, the demand for differentiated employer branding, performance marketing, and AI-integrated campaigns is peaking.
The firm will offer sector-specific solutions such as go-to-market strategies, online reputation management, content marketing, influencer programs, visual identity design, digital assets, and analytics.
“This is a turning point for us,” said Ashima Kakar, Co-founder of BrandPipal and Head of Marketing at NLB Services. “We want to work with companies that have a clear purpose and help them build credibility, visibility, and identity in a digital-first world. Today, marketing is not just about creative visuals, it’s about combining strategy with storytelling, backed by data and AI maturity.”
BrandPipal has already secured several early clients across AI startups, global system integrators, the publishing sector, and the travel industry. It plans to prioritize onboarding high-impact clients within its first year, offering solutions that cut across brand building, recruitment marketing, and digital engagement.NLB Services brings to this initiative its strong legacy of working with over 100 Fortune 500 companies, helping them with talent branding and workforce strategy. BrandPipal extends this experience into a new growth vertical with deeper capabilities in employer brand strategy, martech platform design, and AI-powered performance analysis.
With marketing becoming one of the most crucial verticals in organizational success, BrandPipal aims to fill the whitespace that exists between design firms and traditional agencies. It positions itself as a hybrid solution provider: one that brings together the intelligence of an analytics firm, the storytelling finesse of a content studio, and the business discipline of a consultancy.
The expansion into branding is timely. As global organizations increasingly set up GCCs across India, there is rising demand for agencies that understand both the local hiring landscape and the global brand expectations. NLB Services, with its roots in staffing and operations, is uniquely placed to serve this dual mandate.
BrandPipal’s five-year roadmap includes:- Serving 1800+ existing and 400 upcoming GCCs with dedicated brand engagement teams
- Expanding its reach across North America, LATAM, and other emerging markets
- Growing its expert team from 75 to 500+
- Generating $25 million in revenue through diversified service offerings
This move repositions NLB Services not just as a talent provider, but as a technology-enabled solutions partner, responding to the needs of modern businesses navigating talent wars, digital competition, and brand identity challenges.
“We are not here to replace traditional agencies, we’re here to raise the bar,” Ashima added. “Our aim is to build profitable, authentic, and purpose-led brands that connect deeply with customers, talent, and communities.”About NLB Services
NLB Services is a global talent, skilling, and digital transformation partner headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, with operational hubs across India, LATAM, and Europe. Its services span digital workforce solutions, operations management, and tech transformation strategies.
About BrandPipal
BrandPipal is a marketing and employer branding firm under NLB Services. It specializes in storytelling, AI-driven campaign design, performance analytics, and strategic branding for growing and global enterprises.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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India OTT Industry Finds Its Global Voice at WAVES 2025, as Shri Ashish Shelar, Mr. Sajan Raj Kurup, and Ms. Amala Akkineni Lead Industry Roundtable
From the launch of WAVES OTT to the Creatorland MoU, the summit draws focus on skilling, monetisation, and immersive content backed by Primus Partners, AWS, and Rolling Stone India
The India OTT industry is entering a pivotal phase of transformation and this momentum was on full display at the WAVES Summit 2025 Roundtable, held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Curated by Primus Partners in collaboration with Amazon Web Services and Rolling Stone India, the event welcomed over one hundred influential voices from cinema, technology, public policy, venture capital, and content innovation.
The Roundtable marked the launch of the joint report Press Play: India’s OTT Story Goes Global, co-authored by Primus Partners, AWS, and Rolling Stone India. The report was released by Shri Ashish Shelar, Hon’ble Minister of Culture, Heritage and IT, Government of Maharashtra, who noted that OTT is no longer confined to entertainment. Shri Shelar emphasized the sector’s intersections with education, gaming, and community-driven storytelling. He also congratulated Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, for launching WAVES OTT, a digital-first public broadcasting platform that combines archival programming with new-age content. The Minister further revealed the state’s intention to support regional narratives by introducing a Marathi OTT platform.Mr. Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder of Creativeland Studios and Chairman of Creators Inc, played a key role in shaping the summit’s creator-focused vision. His keynote highlighted the need for sustainable narrative ecosystems, long-term policy commitments, and infrastructure that supports creators from ideation to monetisation. His leadership was central to one of the day’s biggest announcements, the creation of Creatorland, India’s first Transmedia Entertainment City.
The sessions at the Roundtable explored three major themes guiding India’s OTT future. The first dealt with public and private collaboration, particularly the role of national broadcasters like Prasar Bharati in growing India’s multilingual content footprint. The second explored global co-productions, hybrid revenue models, and content internationalisation. The third focused on technology, where speakers discussed how cloud computing, AR, VR, and immersive storytelling tools are changing how content is created and consumed.
In his keynote, Shri Gaurav Dwivedi recalled iconic programs such as Binaca Geet Mala, Hum Log, and Ramayan, which shaped Indian culture through public broadcasting. He described WAVES OTT as a platform that removes geographic and structural barriers, offering creators access to a national and global audience. He positioned it not just as a media product, but as an instrument of cultural participation.A pivotal moment in the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Creativeland Asia to build Creatorland. The agreement was signed by Smt. Amrapali Kata, Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh Tourism, and Mr. Sajan Raj Kurup. They were joined by Mr. David Unger, CEO of Artists International, and Mr. Nicolas Granatino, Chairman of Novaquark. Creatorland is projected to attract between ₹8,000–10,000 crore in investment, support over 150,000 jobs, and offer annual training to 10,000 youth in content and gaming technologies.
Smt. Amrapali Kata invited storytellers from across the country and abroad to see Andhra Pradesh as a destination for cultural-tech innovation. She stressed the state’s support for high-quality infrastructure and progressive policies. Mr. Sajan Raj Kurup reiterated that Creatorland is designed not as a traditional film studio, but as a full-spectrum content innovation campus integrating storytellers, technologists, and producers.
As the Roundtable progressed, several influential voices added clarity to India’s evolving OTT vision. Ms. Amala Akkineni, actor, educator, and director at Annapurna Studios, spoke about the need for a structured mentorship approach to nurture regional talent. She called for the creation of institutional funds that can support vernacular content creators who often remain invisible to national-level production houses and platforms. According to her, true decentralisation in storytelling would only happen when regional voices receive equitable access to training, resources, and global reach.Veteran filmmaker and actor Mr. Sachin Pilgaonkar made a crucial intervention during the monetisation dialogue, questioning the tendency to label platforms as regional or national. He argued that all OTTs in India are Indian by default, and the only distinguishing factor is language. This perspective was welcomed by content creators across geographies and was seen as a call to dismantle centralised industry hierarchies that overlook local success stories.
Also present at the Roundtable were Mr. Sameer Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Applause Entertainment, Ms. Aditi Shrivastava, Co-Founder of Pocket Aces, Mr. Soumya Mukherjee, and Mr. Vishnu Mohta, both senior executives at Hoichoi. Together, they explored the scope of strategic licensing, global IP deals, and the possibility of building co-funded, multilingual franchises from India.
Representatives from AWS India, including Mr. Pankaj Gupta, Mr. Manoj Padmanabhan, and Mr. Nitin Bawankule, brought to light the infrastructure demands of a growing OTT universe. They spoke about how cloud-native production pipelines, real-time analytics, and AI-enhanced scripting tools are transforming creative workflows and content lifecycle planning. These insights were contextualised through case studies showing how regional creators can scale up quality while keeping costs predictable.Technology-driven production was further addressed by Ms. Mahima Kaul, Public Policy Director at Netflix India, and Ms. Shruti Paul, Creative Strategist at Accenture. They emphasised the growing demand for immersive formats, pointing out how viewer engagement has shifted from linear consumption to participatory and on-demand formats. In this evolving landscape, new genres such as docu-gaming, interactive drama, and regional sci-fi have begun to find scalable audiences.
Also sharing their insights were Ms. Shefali Bhushan, Ms. Kriti Kharbanda, Mr. Vaibhav Modi, Ms. Isha Talwar, and Mr. Vinod Bachchan. Their collective focus was on talent pipelines, the need for regional casting networks, and the revival of creative guilds in the OTT era. Ms. Rituparna Sengupta, Mr. Sandeep Marwah of AAFT, and author Mr. Amish Tripathi each contributed layered perspectives on audience taste shifts, mythological IP, and the importance of including folk traditions in the national content mix.Closing the Roundtable, Mr. David Unger, CEO of Artists International, and Mr. Nicolas Granatino of Novaquark, spoke about the global receptiveness toward India’s digital creative market. They highlighted how Creatorland’s model, if replicated regionally, could become an exportable blueprint for content-driven economies in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
As the day drew to a close, the presence of directors and creators such as Mr. Jayant Somalkar, Mr. Om Raut, Ms. Tanvi Dhedia, Mr. Varun Mitra, and Ms. Shobha Sant added tangible credibility to the summit’s ambition. These individuals represent a new generation of storytellers, unafraid to cross formats and redefine audience expectations.
WAVES Summit 2025 did more than launch a report or sign an MoU. It signalled the formal entry of the India OTT industry into a globally collaborative, digitally forward, and culturally rooted phase. With regional creators receiving institutional attention and platforms like WAVES OTT and Creatorland offering infrastructure and vision, India has made its intent clear.
Prittle Prattle News will continue to follow the policy shifts, talent journeys, and platform evolutions that define the future of digital storytelling, featuring you virtuously.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Viksit Bharat by 2047 is a realisable ambition, says Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission at Isaac Centre’s Growth Forum
Day 1 of the Isaac Centre for Public Policy’s Annual Growth Conference brought together India’s top economic minds to chart the course toward long-term development goals, with a focus on fiscal frameworks, employment, and governance.
The Isaac Centre for Public Policy (ICPP) at Ashoka University launched its first-ever Annual Growth Conference on May 2, 2025, in New Delhi. The conference, hosted at the Taj Mahal Hotel, brought together an influential group of economists, finance officials, legal experts, and public policy leaders. It aimed to tackle India’s medium-term growth challenges while offering tangible policy directions in the areas of macro-finance, regulation, employment, and agriculture.
The event opened with remarks from Prachi Mishra, Director and Head of ICPP, and Professor of Economics at Ashoka University. She highlighted the structural shifts in global trade, particularly the rising tariffs in the United States, and how such changes are introducing fresh uncertainties into international economic dynamics. Mishra stated that effective tariffs in the U.S. are now likely the highest seen in a century and warned that retaliatory actions by other countries could further destabilize global trade.Turning to India, Mishra pointed out that while reforms have continued steadily over the past decade, key areas such as manufacturing, private investment, and fiscal consolidation are still struggling to gain momentum. She described the current situation as a cyclical slowdown, despite long-term structural changes.
The first major panel, titled “Macro-Public Finance,” was moderated by Shri N.K. Singh, former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission. Panelists included Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Dr. Prachi Mishra, in her capacity as a research leader in macroeconomic policy.Dr. Panagariya, a respected economist and former Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, provided an overview of India’s recent growth performance. He noted that although the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a historic contraction of -5.6 percent, the Indian economy demonstrated a strong rebound. Growth reached 9.7 percent in 2021–22, followed by 7.6 percent in 2022–23. The provisional estimate for 2023–24 stands at 9.2 percent, while the advance figure for 2024–25 is projected at 6.4 percent.
Reflecting on these numbers, Panagariya noted that, “We came out of the COVID downturn with an unexpectedly sharp recovery. The rebound confirms the underlying resilience in the economy and the effectiveness of macroeconomic stabilisation strategies.”He also addressed India’s aspirational goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047 — a vision termed Viksit Bharat, set to coincide with the centenary of independence. Dr. Panagariya explained that reaching developed status would require India to raise its per capita income to around $14,000. To get there, the country would need to sustain a 7.3 percent annual growth rate in per capita terms for the next 24 years.
“It is a realisable ambition,” he said, “but one that demands consistent reform, private sector development, and urban-led transformation across states.”The session also turned to fiscal federalism and inter-state disparities. Dr. Panagariya pointed to Bihar as a case study in slow growth, noting that while the state has seen some positive trends in recent years, it continues to lag behind more industrialised regions such as Karnataka. He emphasised the importance of fiscal transfers and encouraged renewed focus on private investment and targeted infrastructure for high-impact areas.
Ajay Seth, representing the Ministry of Finance, reinforced the need for macro-financial stability. He acknowledged that inflationary trends have eased, but stressed that India’s medium-term fiscal roadmap still requires bold policy choices and enhanced state-level cooperation.Justice V. Ramasubramanian, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, spoke in the second panel focused on regulation. He discussed the changing role of judicial interpretation in policy formulation and enforcement. “We live in an era where content is abundant, but comprehension is fading,” he said. “As a society, we must move from passive reading to critical thinking.”
The regulatory panel also featured Dr. K.P. Krishnan, former Secretary to the Government of India and Distinguished Fellow at ICPP, Smt. Anuradha Thakur, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General of India.
Dr. Raghuvanshi spoke about the ongoing balance between encouraging pharmaceutical innovation and maintaining public safety. He mentioned that regulatory agility is key, especially in post-pandemic India where the drug approval ecosystem must evolve rapidly to match scientific progress.Day 1 concluded with a reaffirmation of ICPP’s mission. Established through a grant from the Ajit Isaac Foundation, founded by Ajit Isaac and Sarah Isaac, the Isaac Centre is focused on collaborative public policy work. Its ambition is to act as a bridge between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
ICPP’s agenda includes workstreams on labour and employment, fiscal policy, gender inclusion, healthcare, and rural transformation. It is positioning itself as a non-partisan think tank with real-world implementation goals.
The conference will continue on May 3, covering the role of agriculture in economic transformation, employment trends, and how advanced states can drive India’s composite growth.
At Prittle Prattle News, featuring you virtuously, we continue to document long-term strategic shifts that shape India’s development journey. This forum provided a snapshot of where India stands, and where its institutions hope to go in the next two decades.At Prittle Prattle News, we honor your dedication and inventiveness led by showcasing you in a positive light. Under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Smruti Bhalerao, our platform is committed to disseminating powerful narratives that raise awareness and motivate change. For more important stories, follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.