Between 2010 and 2020, India experienced a surge in white-collar employment, driven by rapid expansion in information technology, business process outsourcing, and customer experience roles. Cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, and Gurugram became magnets for educated workers.
Speaking in Delhi, Arvind Virmani, Member of NITI Aayog, explains the economic logic behind India’s Free Trade Agreements and their importance for the manufacturing sector. He highlights a golden opportunity for India over the next 10–15 years, driven by favourable global demographics and growing concerns over excessive concentration of manufacturing in a single country. Virmani says FTAs are designed to accelerate the creation of international manufacturing supply chains in India, particularly by partnering with developed economies where most multinational corporations are based. He points to recent FTAs with the UK, Oman and New Zealand, and underlines the strategic importance of the proposed India–EU FTA. While noting that the benefits of FTAs take time to materialise, he stresses that their real impact will be seen through increased foreign investment and supply chain integration, strengthening India’s position as a global manufacturing hub.
Speaking in Delhi, Arvind Virmani, Member of NITI Aayog, outlines the next phase of India’s reform agenda, shifting focus from the Centre to the states. He notes that key central-level challenges — including labour courts, income tax reforms and upcoming customs duty changes — are already being addressed. The spotlight is now on state-level reforms, particularly land availability for expanding industries, electricity pricing for businesses, and improvements in education and job skilling. Virmani stresses that high industrial power tariffs discourage investment and job creation, while better land policies are crucial for growing manufacturing capacity. He also underlines the importance of human capital, arguing that quality education and skilling must create productive workers, leading to higher wages and sustained economic growth.
As Budget 2026 approaches, NITI Aayog, working with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has urged a fiscal push for affordable housing, including a 100% tax exemption for developers. The call comes as rising land costs and funding challenges curb new supply, even as demand from EWS and LIG households continues to grow.
The platform companies have been in conversation with the central and various state governments for the past several years for enacting fair rules for gig worker welfare, says Bikhchandani
PM Modi said India must pursue mission-mode reforms across sectors, with policymaking and budgeting firmly anchored to the 2047 vision.
PM Modi Chairs High-Level Meet With Economists At NITI Aayog
The meeting forms part of the government’s ongoing pre-Budget exercise, aimed at weighing expert assessments before final economic decisions are taken for the next financial year
The investment industry in India has its own set of women trailblazers, managing thousands of crores and generating immense wealth for investors.
NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba calls the implementation of the four new Labour Codes the most comprehensive labour reform since Independence. He says the Modi government’s consolidation of 29 central labour laws into four transparent, tech-enabled codes marks a major shift toward labour welfare, investment, and job creation. The new framework simplifies compliance by replacing multiple licences, registrations, and 31 returns with a single licence, single registration, and one return—fully electronic. Gauba highlights two major gains: allowing employers to hire fixed-term workers freely, and ensuring these workers receive the same benefits as permanent staff. He calls the codes pro-worker, pro-growth, and pro-jobs.
Niti Aayog's panel has called for a shift to stable policy regimes, predictable rule-making, and a system where every regulation is tested for its compliance cost on businesses and enforcement burden on the government





