India can’t afford to coast on its past success. That was the urgent message from Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran at the Columbia India Summit 2025, hosted by the Deepak and Neera Raj Centre on Indian Economic Policies at Columbia University.
With a global audience of technologists, economists, and policy experts watching, Nageswaran laid out India’s most pressing economic challenges — and made it clear that technology must play a starring role in the solution.
India’s Scale Is a Double-Edged Sword
Nageswaran’s message was sharp: India’s massive population is both its advantage and its liability. Growth cannot rely solely on scale; it needs direction, innovation, and strategic thinking.
“We are not lacking talent. We are lacking transformation at scale,” Nageswaran stated, urging the global Indian community to think long-term.
Tech Innovation Will Define the Next Two Decades
While the summit was focused on broader economic themes, technology kept resurfacing as the key driver of India’s future. Nageswaran identified digital innovation as the catalyst for job creation, productivity, and global competitiveness.
Here’s where he thinks India must double down:
- Beyond Digital Inclusion: India has built digital rails like UPI and Aadhaar — but now it must create globally competitive tech products, platforms, and patents.
- AI and Automation: With AI shifting job markets, India must upskill over 400 million people by 2040 or face mass disruption.
- From Startups to Giants: India has 100+ unicorns but still lacks global tech behemoths. Nageswaran called for stronger support in scaling beyond Series A.
- Semiconductors and Sovereignty: The push for homegrown chip manufacturing is no longer optional — it’s essential for national resilience.
The Policy-Tech Gap Holding India Back
Despite India’s global digital image, Nageswaran was candid about domestic bottlenecks: policy delays, inconsistent infrastructure, and lack of innovation funding in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
“We must bridge the gap between what’s possible and what’s permissible,” he said, alluding to India’s regulatory inertia in tech-heavy sectors.
Global Platforms, Local Problems
Interestingly, Nageswaran also touched on how India’s most impactful tech projects (like ONDC and Account Aggregators) are not yet fully understood or adopted across industries. He urged global partnerships and cross-border capital to help these platforms scale faster.
The conversation sparked ideas around:
- Tech policy reform
- Rural tech innovation
- Sustainable AI development
What This Means for India’s Tech Community
This wasn’t just a keynote. It was a blueprint.
Nageswaran made it clear that India’s next economic chapter will be shaped by how the tech industry, policymakers, and educational institutions come together. From building deeptech infrastructure to exporting homegrown solutions, the mission is clear: scale with purpose.
Insight Tech Talk’s Take
India is entering a new era where economic growth will be won or lost on the strength of its tech ecosystem. The Columbia Summit 2025 made that crystal clear.
Startups, investors, students, and policymakers have a role to play and the time to act is now.
