Moneycontrol Policy Next summit: Union Minister RK Singh and Lok Sabha MP Jayant Sinha to deliver keynote addresses

Union minister RK Singh to speak at Policy Next

With its flagship Policy Next Summit, Moneycontrol, India’s leading financial news platform, deep dives into a broad range of high-powered policy conversations of national and international significance with India’s leading think tanks, policymakers, industry leaders, and academia.

The Moneycontrol Policy Next summit on January 18 will explore what more can be done at the policy level to achieve the country’s vision of a ‘$10 trillion economy,’ with leading voices across fields putting forth their opinions.

The summit is being held when India is expected to see both momentous and exciting times as it gears up for an interim Budget and general elections in the coming months.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India will be among the top three economies in the world in his third term. Addressing a group of businessmen at Surat, the PM said, “The government has also set targets for the next 25 years. We are working on the target of becoming a $5-10 trillion economy as well as taking exports to a record high.”

The Policy Next Summit

Jayant Sinha, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and Member of Lok Sabha, will deliver the keynote address on ‘Modinomincs 3.0’ at the Policy Next Summit, followed by a fireside chat with Shweta Punj, Deputy Editor at Moneycontrol.

Sinha, an engineering graduate from IIT Delhi, pursued a post-graduate degree in energy management & policy from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. He later attended Harvard Business School and obtained an MBA with Distinction in 1992. His impactful tenure in India's Council of Ministers (2014-2019) included key roles in passing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and spearheading initiatives at the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Before entering politics, Sinha held pivotal roles in a leading impact investment firm and McKinsey & Company, where he co-led the global Software & IT Services Practice. He is also an acclaimed venture capital expert.

Union Minister RK Singh to speak on securing India’s energy future

Raj Kumar Singh, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, will deliver a keynote address on securing India’s energy future. The keynote address will be followed by a fireside chat with Nalin Mehta, Managing Editor of Moneycontrol.

Raj Kumar Singh is a former Indian bureaucrat and a current Union Cabinet Minister. He is a Member of Parliament from Arrah, Bihar, since May 2014. Singh is a 1975 batch Bihar cadre Indian Administrative Service officer and former Home Secretary of India.

In December 2023 the power ministry estimated that India will witness more than 83 percent increase in investments in renewable energy projects to around $16.5 billion in 2024 as the country focuses on energy transition to reduce carbon emissions.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Singh to discuss how India managed food inflation

Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, will discuss with Moneycontrol’s Shweta Punj how India has managed food inflation. Singh, a 1989-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, has served as the Consumer Affairs Secretary since December 31, 2021.

He holds an Electrical Engineering degree from IIT, BHU, and a Master's in Computer Engineering from Clarkson University, US. Singh also earned a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University, where he was recognised as a Lucius N. Littaeur Fellow in 2004.

The discussion is timely given the food inflation concerns among policymakers. At the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) Summit at Davos, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das noted that food inflation is on top of the central bank's agenda. He said, “One area which is on top of our agenda at the moment is dynamics of food inflation… Food inflation can be very volatile, depending on some weather events.” India's retail inflation rate accelerated to a four-month high of 5.69 percent in December, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on January 12, owing to an unfavourable base effect. However, India has so far seen reasonable success in battling food inflation.

Macro story, interim Budget and beyond

With the interim Budget on February 1, the first panel discussion at the Policy Next summit will be on ‘Macro story, interim Budget and beyond’. The session will see experts discuss expectations from the upcoming interim Budget, macroeconomic outlook among other things.

Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA Ltd, Devendra Kumar Pant Chief Economist at India Ratings and Research, Dr Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener at Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Subhash Chandra Garg, Former Finance Secretary, GOI will be the speakers at the panel discussion. Gaurav Choudhury, Consulting Editor, Moneycontrol will moderate the panel discussion.

We the women, India’s next growth engine

During its G20 presidency between 2022 and 2023, India pushed its ‘women-led development’ agenda. The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration 2023 focused on ‘Enhancing Economic and Social Empowerment’, ‘Bridging the Gender Digital Divide’, ‘Driving Gender Inclusive Climate Action’ and ‘Securing Women’s Food Security, Nutrition and Well-Being’. The G20 leaders also agreed to create a new working group on the empowerment of women to support the G20 Women’s Ministerial.

The Policy Next panel discussion will focus on India’s ‘women-led development’ agenda and why women are India’s next growth engine. The panel will comprise Bansuri Swaraj, lawyer and secretary, BJP Delhi, Shazia Ilmi, spokesperson for BJP, Lekha S Chakraborty, Professor at NIPFP, Anisha Singh, Founder of She Capital, Ayushi Gudwani, CEO and Founder of Fable Street and Sairee Chahal, Founder and Chairperson of Mahila Money. The panel will be moderated by Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor, Editor-Multimedia at Moneycontrol.

GST- A reform half done?

Ever since its introduction in 2017, Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been at the centre of many controversies. The latest is the retrospective application of 28 percent GST on online gaming companies.

This panel will discuss what has been done so far and what could be done going forward to improve the GST regime. The panel will comprise Rama Mathew, a former member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, V Lakshmikumaran, Founder and Managing Partner at Lakshmikumaran Sridharan and Pratik Jain, Partner at PwC.