'World has woken up to India': Karan Bilimoria and Puneet Chhatwal reflect on India's potential

News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025

British-Indian entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria and the CEO Indian Hotels Company Puneet Chhatwal both backed India’s growth potential, with Bilimoria adding that the nation’s diversity has made it stronger, while speaking at a panel discussion on News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025, on April 8.

Bilimoria, the Founding Chairman of the UK-India Business Council underscored India’s diversity as its biggest strength over the years. “Liberalization started in 1991. It was only from 2002 onwards that the Indian economy started to rocket, almost reaching double-digit growth per year. We haven’t looked back since then. Today, India is the fastest growing major economy in the world, at over 6 percent growth… India has also become the largest country in the world in terms of population. We have overtaken China. My prediction is that it will overtake China’s economy as well. By 2060, India will be the largest economy on this planet,” Bilimoria said.

“What I think people are beginning to appreciate is why is India powering ahead and so resilient when everything around it is basically falling apart. Two reasons- one is India’s democracy has shown itself to be rock solid resilient. The Indian armed forces have never ever interfered in politics. There is no chance ever of a coup in India. So, you have strong armed forces, and strong robust democracy. And the second thing is India is the most diverse country. This is India’s biggest strength,” Karan Bilimoria added.

Bilimoria further said India’s entrepreneurship spirit was suppressed for a long time, and now it has been unleashed. “India’s diversity is its power,” he concluded, while noting how minority groups too have found ample opportunities to flourish in the country.

IHCL’s Puneet Chhatwal highlighted India’s focus on education to give the nation an edge in the world. “People would take big loans to give their children the best education. I think that is making a very big difference,” he said. Chhatwal said Indian diaspora’s successes the world over is a testament to India’s growth potential.

Chhatwal however said more Indian brands need to come up and succeed on the global platform. “India’s hospitality is second to none. We learnt the concept of hoteliering from the west, and today Indian brands in hospitality are doing very well. I hope more and more consumer brands come up and leave a mark on the global platform,” Chhatwal added.