Jayant Sinha has participated in Indian politics and policy-making as Minister of State for Civil Aviation; Minister of State for Finance and as a Member of Parliament. He has piloted key legislations and introduced several private member’s bills in Parliament. He now chairs an important Parliamentary Committee on Finance which is the foremost parliamentary authority addressing several areas of great importance and growth impetus for India such as the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, NPAs of Financial Institutions, Policy on New Licenses in the Banking Sector, Transformation towards a Digital Economy, and Financing the Start-up Ecosystem. It was him, who during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998-2002) took initiatives such as the mortgage interest rate deduction and introduction of Saral form to file income tax returns with ease. It dramatically improved tax compliance. He has been active in Hazaribagh since 1998 and worked on a variety of projects in Hazaribagh and Ramgarh districts such as fostering self-help groups, tribal development, distributing solar lanterns, improving drinking water quality and getting village roads built.
Dr Debroy is currently Chairman, Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council Debroy was also Member, NITI Aayog up to 5th June 2019. He has authored/edited several books, papers, and popular articles and has also been a Consulting/Contributing Editor with several newspapers.
Debroy was the Secretary General of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Northern India and a columnist with the Indian Express, the Business Standard and the Financial Express. He is now a Contributing Editor with the Indian Express and a Professor with the International Management Institute in Delhi.
He was Director at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, in New Delhi, between 1997 and 2005. Debroy was educated in Presidency College, Kolkata, Delhi School of Economics and Trinity College, Cambridge. He has worked at Presidency College Kolkata, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Pune), Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (Delhi), National Council of Applied Economic Research (Delhi) and as Consultant, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. He was also the Director of a project known as LARGE (Legal Adjustments and Reforms for Globalizing the Economy), set up by the Ministry of Finance and UNDP to examine legal reforms.
Amar Patnaik is an astute administrator, a highly skilled researcher and a global-minded India-focused leader in search of practical solutions to grassroots problems. He had a long career in civil services and was associated with UN and the World Bank for global external audit assignments. It is for his love to serve the people at the bottom of the pyramid, he quit and joined the Biju Janata Dal representing the state in the Rajya Sabha. He was member of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019. He ensured that the bill goes through an extensive process of clause-wise consideration during the consultation within the JPC. As Rajya Sabha Member, he is Odisha’s voice in the Parliament. He has been a part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and a member of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Forest, Environment and Climate Change. As head of the party’s IT wing, Amar guides on improving governance in the state; much of which can be attributed to his efforts.
Reforms historian and author of best-seller ModiNomics, Sameer Kochhar is Chairman, SKOCH Group. He is a passionate advocate of social, digital and financial inclusion and is a foremost expert on governance and inclusive growth. His work has been acclaimed globally and endorsed by Mr Narendra Modi, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr P Chidambaram, Mr Yashwant Sinha, Dr C Rangarajan and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia and so on. In his thinking and writings and activities, his profound admiration for India's economic reforms and in extension, those outstanding personalities who strive to make these reforms more meaningful and broad-based comes out clear and unambiguous.
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Kulmeet Bawa is the chief architect of SAP’s growth and innovation strategies for the Indian Subcontinent. He is responsible for delivering bold transformations and exceptional SAP experiences to customers across the ecosystem, as well as guiding businesses in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to adopt a digital-first mindset.
Over his 25 years of cross functional experience, Kulmeet has orchestrated business revolution by providing proven business outcomes for organizations across various industries and portfolios. Kulmeet was previously the Chief Operating Officer for Resulticks where he led the growth strategy and execution of go-to-market for the organization.
While at Adobe as Managing Director for India and South Asia, Kulmeet was instrumental in accelerating the organization’s growth momentum by expanding the business footprint within the Enterprise, SMB and Consumer sectors. Prior to Adobe, he has held various leadership roles managing enterprise development and business processes for major tech companies such as Microsoft Corporation and Sun Microsystems.
With a relentless focus on driving customer experience Kulmeet believes in nurturing and mentoring team members, promoting design thinking, creativity and innovative culture. He also actively contributes towards social initiatives which focus on education and women empowerment.
Prior to his corporate avatar, Kulmeet Bawa spent 12 years with the Indian Armoured Corps as a Cavalry officer. During his tenure with the Indian army, Kulmeet was Aide de Camp to the Governor of an Indian State and taught Strategy at the prestigious Armoured Corps Centre and School.
Kulmeet is a graduate from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy.
He served as Director and Vice Chancellor of IGIDR, Mumbai (2010–2022) and earlier chaired the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. He was Vice Chairman of IFPRI’s Board, a member of the National Statistical Commission, and Director of CESS, Hyderabad. He has 150 publications, 23 books, and has advised global agencies and Indian government committees. He has received several awards, including the Malcolm Adisesaiah Award.
Rama V Baru’s academic pursuits have focused on health policy, international health, privatisation of health services and inequalities in health. She has published extensively on private healthcare and health services at school level in India. She is a rare academic with ground-level experience, whose expertise has been sought by the Government of India, World Health Organisation and Indian Council for Medical Research. She also engaged with UNDP. She has supported research at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, outside the confines of a medical college so that it could enrich itself through wider interaction with various disciplines of natural and social sciences. Baru has also worked on provider payment mechanisms on health system performance in light of the public sponsored health insurance schemes.
He is credited for launching the first ever SME Platform and Startup Platform in India on 13th March, 2012 and 22 December, 2018 respectively. BSE today is the largest SME Platform in India with 325 companies listed and 55 companies are in pipeline. These 325 companies listed represent 17 sectors which has raised an amount of Rs.3340.36 crores with market capitalization of Rs. 18,528.71 crores. BSE has got 5 Startups listed in its Startup Platform which has raised 22.24 crores with market capitalization Rs 82.71 crores. There are another 5 Startups which are in pipeline to get listed. The success of these platforms has been recognized and appreciated by national and international organizations.
In one of the annual issues of 2013, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appreciated the effort of BSE SME for promoting SME listing in India. IOSCO also in its research report of July 2015 mentioned that BSE SME platform is the most cost effective platform for SME listing in the World. BSE SME has received SKOCH achiever award from the hands of then, Minister of State for finance Shri Jayant Sinha in the year 2015. BSE has been also awarded as the best SME exchange in India by Shri Kalraj Mishra, then Minister for MSME in 2016 and from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research as CHANGE AGENT in the year 2018. Mr. Ajay thakur is also on various committees viz, India SME Forum and CII MSME Committee.
India Economy Forum (IEF) is India’s marquee platform that brings together foremost economists and heads of financial institutions to shape economic agendas in India. SKOCH IEF is the only independent & unbiased forum that is trusted by all stakeholders, irrespective of their affiliations and associations, which resonates with our collaborative spirit to push for positive change.
With the Indian economy on the path to recovery after COVID-induced slowdown, the importance of a resilient economic framework and ecosystem has become obvious. However, several important issues will need to be addressed and several greenfield areas developed before this vision can be realized. With that in mind, the SKOCH Group had organized the India Economic Forum from 4th Feb to 26th March, 2022. The first-of-its-kind forum brought together more than 90 high-profile luminaries from economics and finance over 11 highly engaging sessions to touch upon several burning issues with direct market and policy impact.
Five key tracks were identified with direct relevance to the growth of the economy and the vision of transforming India into a global economic powerhouse by 2025 and included “Economy”, “Markets”, “Finance”, “Sustainability” and “LITFest”. The tracks, panels and the exhaustive discussions will culminate in the Grand Finale, scheduled for 26th March, 2022, where the recommendations from all the tracks on spatially dispersed, job generative & equitable growth will be presented to the top decision makers and leaders from economy and finance.
Mr Sameer Kochhar, Chairman, SKOCH Group
Summary: The speaker introduced as an insider account of India’s economic policymaking journey from 1979 to 2014, highlighting the country’s transition to a high-growth economy. He emphasized key themes from the book, including gradual reform strategies, liberalization, and the dismantling of the License Raj. The remarks also touched upon the optimism seen in the early years of the Modi government. In his response, he expressed gratitude for the award and noted, with humor, that authors are pleased when their work is actually read. He also referenced the growing global relevance of fiscal dominance, linking it to broader economic discussions. The speaker concluded with a light-hearted tone, appreciating fellow awardees and the recognition.*
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Mr Kulmeet Bawa, President, CEO's Association of Inclusive India (CAII) and MD, SAP India
Summary: The speaker welcomed the gathering and acknowledged the contributions of economists and leaders who have shaped India’s growth over the decades. He highlighted the India Economic Forum as a platform that drives meaningful dialogue on inclusive growth by bringing policymakers closer to real-world challenges. SKOCH was recognized for its consistent role in promoting change across social, financial, and digital sectors. He emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing through initiatives like the Lit Fest and the role of the CEOs’ Association for Inclusive India in shaping policy perspectives. The speaker also stressed that sustainability and climate change are among the most critical challenges of this century. He concluded by urging that environmental responsibility must be central to all policy and business decisions to ensure truly sustainable growth.*
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Keynote: Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
Summary: The speaker emphasized inclusion as the central theme underpinning SKOCH’s work and broader economic discourse. He distinguished between poverty as an absolute concept and inequality as a relative and dynamic one shaped by perceptions of future opportunities. He argued that poverty is not voluntary and that addressing it requires improving access to key inputs such as infrastructure, finance, technology, and markets. The importance of governance and legal frameworks in shaping market outcomes was highlighted, particularly through constitutional structures. He stressed that effective delivery of public goods largely happens at the local level, making decentralization crucial. The speaker concluded by urging greater focus on grassroots governance to integrate marginalized regions and achieve true inclusive growth.*
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Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
Summary: The speaker emphasized inclusion as the central theme underpinning SKOCH’s work and broader economic discourse. He distinguished between poverty as an absolute concept and inequality as a relative and dynamic one shaped by perceptions of future opportunities. He argued that poverty is not voluntary and that addressing it requires improving access to key inputs such as infrastructure, finance, technology, and markets. The importance of governance and legal frameworks in shaping market outcomes was highlighted, particularly through constitutional structures. He stressed that effective delivery of public goods largely happens at the local level, making decentralization crucial. The speaker concluded by urging greater focus on grassroots governance to integrate marginalized regions and achieve true inclusive growth.*
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Dr Amar Patnaik, Member, Rajya Sabha
Summary: Dr. Amar Patnaik emphasizes inequity as the central challenge shaping his journey from civil services to politics. He highlights that disparities persist across economic, social, and cultural dimensions, driven by deep-rooted power asymmetries. Despite economic growth, inequality continues to rise, with the poorest most affected, especially during crises like climate change and natural disasters. Drawing from Odisha’s experiences, he underscores the need for inclusive and resilient governance. He advocates for politics as a means of service rather than power. He reaffirms his commitment to addressing inequity at local, national, and global levels.*
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Mr Jayant Sinha, Member, Lok Sabha
Summary: Jayant Sinha emphasizes service as the central purpose of his life and political journey, guided by the principle "Seva Parmo Dharma." He highlights his strong connection with the people of Hazaribagh and Ramgarh, whose support has enabled his work. His focus remains on grassroots development, including tribal welfare, infrastructure, and essential services. He underscores the importance of responsible and active participation in policymaking. He also acknowledges the crucial support of his family, especially his wife, in his ability to serve. He dedicates his achievements to his constituents, reflecting a people-first approach to leadership.*
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