Is India prepared for a likely geopolitical turbulence? CEA Nageswaran says this
CEA Anantha Nageswaran said many of the reforms were already in the works even before the geopolitical scene turned turbulent.
- Jan 30, 2026,
- Updated Jan 30, 2026 11:59 AM IST
Preparation to face the global turbulence is not a fixed checklist but an ongoing process, said Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran. And on whether India is prepared, he said, it was.
Speaking to India Today, Nageswaran said, “We are prepared. Exactly. And that is what the reform process is showing that we are preparing ourselves to face to go through this period. If it is short, well and good. If it is long, then we are investing in domestic capabilities.”
It is difficult to put a full stop to the question on whether India is prepared, said Nageswaran. “Are we prepared? The answer is we are prepared and that's it. Nothing more to be done. No, that's not the way it is. The preparation is a process and we are showing enough signs that we understand the importance of dealing with many of these things on an urgent basis. So I'm confident that we are preparing ourselves to deal with this space of geopolitical uncertainty,” he said.
The CEA also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch of the ‘Reforms Express’, further adding that the energy sector is at the heart of India’s aspirations. “I think what the government has done over the last 15 months or so is to demonstrate that they have sort of grasped the importance of both process and policy reforms and we mentioned that as an important reason for us to feel confident about upgrading India's potential growth,” he said, adding that states have been very enthusiastic in embracing deregulation.
“So therefore I think these two combined initiatives of the union and state governments are the ones that give us the confidence that the Reform Yatra or the Reform Express journey is having two equally motivated and enthusiastic engineers – the union government and the state governments collectively,” he said.
He said many of the reforms were already in the works even before the geopolitical scene turned turbulent. Giving examples of the opening up of the nuclear power sector, insurance sector for foreign investors, the CEA said, “So I would not necessarily attribute the reform dynamism to the geopolitical situation although doubtless it would have played its part.”
Preparation to face the global turbulence is not a fixed checklist but an ongoing process, said Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran. And on whether India is prepared, he said, it was.
Speaking to India Today, Nageswaran said, “We are prepared. Exactly. And that is what the reform process is showing that we are preparing ourselves to face to go through this period. If it is short, well and good. If it is long, then we are investing in domestic capabilities.”
It is difficult to put a full stop to the question on whether India is prepared, said Nageswaran. “Are we prepared? The answer is we are prepared and that's it. Nothing more to be done. No, that's not the way it is. The preparation is a process and we are showing enough signs that we understand the importance of dealing with many of these things on an urgent basis. So I'm confident that we are preparing ourselves to deal with this space of geopolitical uncertainty,” he said.
The CEA also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch of the ‘Reforms Express’, further adding that the energy sector is at the heart of India’s aspirations. “I think what the government has done over the last 15 months or so is to demonstrate that they have sort of grasped the importance of both process and policy reforms and we mentioned that as an important reason for us to feel confident about upgrading India's potential growth,” he said, adding that states have been very enthusiastic in embracing deregulation.
“So therefore I think these two combined initiatives of the union and state governments are the ones that give us the confidence that the Reform Yatra or the Reform Express journey is having two equally motivated and enthusiastic engineers – the union government and the state governments collectively,” he said.
He said many of the reforms were already in the works even before the geopolitical scene turned turbulent. Giving examples of the opening up of the nuclear power sector, insurance sector for foreign investors, the CEA said, “So I would not necessarily attribute the reform dynamism to the geopolitical situation although doubtless it would have played its part.”