Industry will do its job but needs the help of government in removing bottlenecks and enabling policies: Sunil Bharti Mittal at CII Annual Business Summit 2025
Speaking at a special session ‘Building Trust: Responsible Capitalism’ at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal, Past President, CII and Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, called for a renewed compact between government and industry to foster trust, enable growth, and drive responsible capitalism. He underscored that while Indian industry is committed to national progress, an enabling environment from the government is essential to remove bottlenecks and accelerate India’s development journey.
“Building trust has been an article of faith for all of us at CII,” said Mr. Mittal. “Today is a special day in the life of the nation, where almost all positive influences needed to create momentum are aligning. India stands at the cusp of becoming the third-largest economy in the world. A stronger India economically means a stronger voice globally.”
Emphasizing the role of industry in nation-building, Mr. Mittal stressed that trust remains a critical yet incomplete asset. “We must keep 'India First' at the core of all our decisions. The industry carries the responsibility of driving the country’s economic agenda but must do more to win the full trust of all stakeholders.”
He outlined four key areas requiring immediate focus:
Talent Dividend: Mr. Mittal highlighted the demographic advantage India holds as the developed world ages and immigration barriers rise. “Industry and academia must go beyond surface-level collaboration and jointly build a globally competitive, job-ready workforce. Emerging fields such as AI, green energy, space communication, and next-gen telecom demand urgent attention.
R&D Investment: Expressing concern over India spending less than 1% of its GDP on R&D, Mr. Mittal said, “Industry must step up and invest aggressively in deep tech and innovation. Our large domestic market gives us the scale, but we need intellectual leadership too. Only then can the government scale its R&D efforts with confidence.”
Trade Reset: Mr. Mittal advocated for a fundamental shift in India’s approach to trade and exports. “We must diversify our export basket and focus on products and services that are needed globally. No raw material should leave our shores without value addition—this must become an article of faith for Indian industry.”
Policy Framework: Calling for co-creation of policies, he said, “The dream of Viksit Bharat needs acceleration. Industry must actively work with the government to identify policy gaps and suggest frameworks that create real velocity in building India. Let us hear the government’s views, understand their expectations, and contribute meaningfully.”
During the session, Mr. Mittal also presented an industry wish list to the government, including key asks on Ease of Doing Business, GST reforms, and corporate taxation.
The session was moderated by Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.
29 May 2025
New Delhi