Fourth Kautilya Economic Conclave comes to a triumphant conclusion

In collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, the Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) successfully finished the fourth edition of the Kautilya Economic Conclave (KEC 2025), the ministry announced Monday.
On October 3, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman officially opened the KEC 2025.
Senior policymakers, economists, business executives, and academics convened for three days to discuss methods to achieve robust, inclusive growth in the face of increased global uncertainty.
The Union Finance Minister emphasized in her speech that a potent confluence of circumstances has led to India’s emergence as a stabilizing influence in these troubled times, which is not coincidental nor temporary.
With the steady share of investment and consumption in the overall GDP over the years, Sitharaman noted that India’s growth is firmly anchored in its domestic factors, which minimizes the impact of external shocks on overall growth. She also emphasized the government’s consistent efforts over the past ten years towards fiscal consolidation, improved quality of capital expenditure, and reining in inflationary pressures.
Through plenary sessions, interactive panels, and special lectures, participants engaged in deep conversations over the course of three days.
The necessity of maintaining stable inflation control, maintaining exchange rate discipline, and protecting financial stability from worldwide swings in the price of commodities and oil were all emphasized in the macroeconomic resilience workshops.
With talks on artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and digital finance pointing to new opportunities for global collaboration, the debate on digital public infrastructure and technology highlighted India’s leadership in creating inclusive systems.
Another topic of discussion was trade and global fragmentation, with specialists looking at the difficulties presented by protectionist tendencies and supply chain rewiring.
In addition, former European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet gave a special speech at KEC 2025 titled “What Europe Can Learn from the Indian Federation,” which drew conclusions about Europe’s integration issues from India’s federal fiscal structure.
On October 5, Union Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar gave a closing speech during which he discussed India’s external economic position in a world that is becoming more fragmented.
On the penultimate day of the conclave, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Minister of Communications and the Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region, gave a speech on “Emerging Technologies.”
The KEC 2025’s major takeaway was unambiguous: India’s growth story is still strong, but maintaining faster growth in the long run will necessitate further structural changes and fortifying external alliances, the ministry stated.
