India remains among the most over-regulated economies in the world, said author and commentator Gurcharan Das, arguing that tariffs are a tool meant to protect infant economies.
What did Das say about the “tariff king” label and reforms?
Speaking at the Business & Economy Literature Fest (BELF) 2025 on Sunday, Das said being called the “king of tariffs” nearly 80 years after Independence was an insult, referring to the “tariff king” label used by the US president for India.
However, he added that the present situation should be used as a stimulus. No major country for the past three years has grown the way India has grown, so this is the time for reforms, Das, former chief executive officer of Procter & Gamble India, noted.
How do speakers see the international environment affecting India?
Biju Paul Abraham, professor in the public policy and management group at IIM Calcutta, said the big challenge was the international environment.
“The domestic environment has improved for investment but the international environment has turned negative. And we seem to have very little leverage in ensuring that our interests are protected,” Abraham noted.
Das and Abraham were speaking at a session on India — Past, Present & Future, at BELF 2025. The event was organised by the TV9 Network, with Penguin as knowledge partner, BCC&I as industry partner, and StoryNest as curation and ideation partner.
What does it take to build long-lasting organisations amid turbulence?
Author and former director of Tata Sons R Gopalakrishnan spoke about what it takes to build long-lasting organisations, especially against the backdrop of current turbulence — from geopolitical uncertainty to technological disruption.
According to Gopalakrishnan, things were changing very rapidly, but the tools to cope with it were also changing exponentially. “The gap is constant.”
What was said about entrepreneurship, start-ups and artificial intelligence?
At a session on “An Economic Narrative for Viksit Bharat”, A K Bhattacharya, Editorial Director of Business Standard, observed that while there was much discussion around start-ups, the sons and daughters of India’s business leaders were not displaying the same entrepreneurial drive as they were in the financialisation of the economy. “We are seeing a gradual demise of entrepreneurship.”
Start-ups and the impact of artificial intelligence came up during the course of discussion at many of the sessions. On the evolving journey of India’s start-up scene, Arjun Mohan, edtech specialist and start-up consultant, said India’s start-up story was maturing and the narrative was slowly changing.
In the early days, the only objective was market share and growth at any cost, Mohan mentioned. “The entrepreneurs understand that building sustainable businesses is also about keeping an eye on P&L (profit and loss), ensuring that employees and customers are happy.”
“The objective which is being chased, is slowly changing,” he added.
