New Delhi:

The road to success is often paved with failure. At least that’s how things turned out for entrepreneur and investor Kunal Bahl. He didn’t get into IIT (something his parents were hoping for) but that didn’t stop him from achieving massive success in life.

“Many things that I wanted didn’t go as per plan at that point in time but it set me on a path that was better for me. I didn’t get into IIT but I got into a good US college that opened my mind and really helped me blossom,” Mr Bahl said at the NDTV World Summit 2024.

“So, at that point in time, it feels like you have failed, that’s how society will make you feel. Like I said earlier come out of the bottom of that abyss, find that little bit of courage to continue. I remember the day I didn’t get into IIT, everyone was upset in my family. I went and played three hours of cricket and picked up from where I left off,” he added.

The Snapdeal and Titan Capital co-founder also said that his H-1B visa application was rejected but that led to the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

“I was working at Microsoft in the US and they applied for my H-1B visa. I thought I would live in the US for a few years. But one day I was sitting in my office and I got a one-line email that my H1b visa had been rejected and that’s how I came back and started my journey as an entrepreneur. If you keep working with hardwork and sincerity, eventually success will follow,” he said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

After returning to India, Kunal Bahl co-founded Snapdeal – a major e-commerce platform and Titan Capital, a venture capital firm that supports early-stage startups.

At the summit, he also explained why India should celebrate ‘Indicorns’. “The term unicorn has emerged from the US, suited more to the American context, and India needs to celebrate ‘Indicorns’ with its own benchmarks of success and business goals tailored to the Indian context.”

New Delhi:

The road to success is often paved with failure. At least that’s how things turned out for entrepreneur and investor Kunal Bahl. He didn’t get into IIT (something his parents were hoping for) but that didn’t stop him from achieving massive success in life.

“Many things that I wanted didn’t go as per plan at that point in time but it set me on a path that was better for me. I didn’t get into IIT but I got into a good US college that opened my mind and really helped me blossom,” Mr Bahl said at the NDTV World Summit 2024.

“So, at that point in time, it feels like you have failed, that’s how society will make you feel. Like I said earlier come out of the bottom of that abyss, find that little bit of courage to continue. I remember the day I didn’t get into IIT, everyone was upset in my family. I went and played three hours of cricket and picked up from where I left off,” he added.

The Snapdeal and Titan Capital co-founder also said that his H-1B visa application was rejected but that led to the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

“I was working at Microsoft in the US and they applied for my H-1B visa. I thought I would live in the US for a few years. But one day I was sitting in my office and I got a one-line email that my H1b visa had been rejected and that’s how I came back and started my journey as an entrepreneur. If you keep working with hardwork and sincerity, eventually success will follow,” he said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

After returning to India, Kunal Bahl co-founded Snapdeal – a major e-commerce platform and Titan Capital, a venture capital firm that supports early-stage startups.

At the summit, he also explained why India should celebrate ‘Indicorns’. “The term unicorn has emerged from the US, suited more to the American context, and India needs to celebrate ‘Indicorns’ with its own benchmarks of success and business goals tailored to the Indian context.”

New Delhi:

Like monthly electricity bills and a monthly budget for shopping, people should also earmark funds on a regular basis for social work, Nidarshana Gowani, founder of Ankhibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust, advised.

Ms Gowani detailed the work her organisation does for tribals, transgenders, sex workers and for making the HPV vaccine reach maximum benefactors. “Transgenders have their woes. They are getting educated, they are often back dancers in music videos. But they complain about not getting their rights, or access to schemes or employment equitably,” she said at the NDTV World Summit 2024.

Sex workers also live far from their home and work to care for their parents and educate their children, she said. “We do fixed deposits for them from the post office, which mature in three years. Those funds can be used by the sex workers to start businesses,” Ms Gowani said.

Ms Gowani said technology plays an important role in making philanthropic initiatives reach the people, while also making the youth aware about the sufferings of people and how we need to give back to the society. She added that charity begins at home and imparting values of giving to children at home imprints on their personality. “The social work you do will be carried on as legacy by your kids,” she said.

New Delhi:

At the NDTV World Summit, the conversation on women’s inclusion in India’s energy, logistics, and entrepreneurial sectors took centre stage with a sharp focus on the “3As” – Access, Ambition, and Attainment – as key drivers for advancing women in leadership roles.

Preeti Bajaj, CEO & MD of Luminous Power Technologies, talked about the tangible impact of increasing women’s representation at the leadership level. “At Luminous Power Technologies, the senior leadership team constitutes 33 per cent women, really making a difference, all day, every day,” she said, before detailing the “3As” framework. 

Besides Preeti Bajaj, business leaders and entrepreneurs, including Kami Viswanathan (President, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and Africa at FedEx), and Padmaja Ruparel (Co-founder, IAN Group), discussed how women are not only breaking barriers but also setting new standards in leadership, innovation, and inclusivity.

Despite India’s entrepreneurial boom, the growth of women entrepreneurs remains alarmingly low. Speaking on the subject, Padmaja Ruparel said, “In 2022, only 14.7 per cent of the funding went to women. In 2023, it dropped to a mere 9.7 per cent.” 

Ms Ruparel called for stronger financial backing of women-led ventures, stating, “We need to create the BlackRock of India led by a woman. That, to me, is what will drive entrepreneurship.”

Kami Viswanathan of FedEx said that 36 per cent of the company’s board and 26 per cent of management globally are women. 

“We recently added the opportunity to DEI to rededicate ourselves to inclusive hiring, promotions, and supporting career paths,” she said.
 

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the “NDTV World Summit 2024 – The India Century”, the day 2 of NDTV’s flagship event is here with India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron, and Former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations TS Tirumurti, among a host of other dignitaries, to discuss global issues.

In his keynote address on Monday, PM Modi spoke about why the 21st Century is ‘The India Century’ and how the country is growing rapidly and how investors from around the world are excited about India being the fastest-growing major economy.

He also launched NDTV World, a new home for global news at the Summit, with the tagline: “The World From Where India Stands”. NDTV World aims to be a leading voice from Asia and India on the global stage.

Here are the live updates on NDTV World Summit 2024:

New Delhi:

Kartikey Hariyani, the founder and CEO of Electric vehicle (EV) charging network Charge Zone, while speaking at NDTV World Summit 2024, explained why switching to EV makes Sense.

“In India, the purpose of an EV or a car is for personal mobility. 80 percent of the mobility requirement of an Indian consumer is less than 51 k a day. So, with this stat, EV becomes a natural choice for adoption but it also (poses) a question whether the cost makes sense. Then as an individual consumer, you will say I don’t need an EV or the payback is not really attractive,” he said.

Mr Hariyani, however, insisted that “there is good news around”.

“Two developments have happened in the industry so far. In the last two quarters, the cost of the battery has come down by half. The second good news is some of the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have initiated battery as a service which means battery and charging will effectively becomes your fuelling system. So, what you are going to buy will be a car without the battery cost, it means (it would be) equivalent to the cost of a petrol car,” he said.

Mr Hariyani stressed that one has to think through carefully in terms of how the recharging networks will be planned.

“For each of the EV segments, the industry players have started investing into this. Six years ago, standards got built into this. Later on, local ecosystem played a big part. Localisation did happen in terms of semiconductors as well as power electronics. Today we are ready with the chargers, localised both for three wheelers and four wheelers,” he said.

He also said that even though fast-charging is a key for adoption of EVs but it’s not just about cars but also buses and trucks.

“For a charging company like us, when we started off in 2019, there were green sprouts around electric cars coming into the market, then electric buses started coming. And today we see the launch of electric trucks. As a priority, I will enable inter-city mobility. In other words, charging infra on highways is our priority number one. We have electrified 33,000 kms of highways in India. Fast-charging is a cornerstone. But, if I invest into fast-charging only for cars, I won’t be able to make money even in my whole life time. Inter-city buses and inter-city trucks are going to be the biggest enablers,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the importance of clean energy for a better future, stating that “clean energy is the need of the hour”.

At COP26, India committed to reducing projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. These commitments necessitate a rapid transition to renewables.

New Delhi:

Kartikey Hariyani, the founder and CEO of Electric vehicle (EV) charging network Charge Zone, while speaking at NDTV World Summit 2024, explained why switching to EV makes Sense.

“In India, the purpose of an EV or a car is for personal mobility. 80 percent of the mobility requirement of an Indian consumer is less than 51 k a day. So, with this stat, EV becomes a natural choice for adoption but it also (poses) a question whether the cost makes sense. Then as an individual consumer, you will say I don’t need an EV or the payback is not really attractive,” he said.

Mr Hariyani, however, insisted that “there is good news around”.

“Two developments have happened in the industry so far. In the last two quarters, the cost of the battery has come down by half. The second good news is some of the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have initiated battery as a service which means battery and charging will effectively becomes your fuelling system. So, what you are going to buy will be a car without the battery cost, it means (it would be) equivalent to the cost of a petrol car,” he said.

Mr Hariyani stressed that one has to think through carefully in terms of how the recharging networks will be planned.

“For each of the EV segments, the industry players have started investing into this. Six years ago, standards got built into this. Later on, local ecosystem played a big part. Localisation did happen in terms of semiconductors as well as power electronics. Today we are ready with the chargers, localised both for three wheelers and four wheelers,” he said.

He also said that even though fast-charging is a key for adoption of EVs but it’s not just about cars but also buses and trucks.

“For a charging company like us, when we started off in 2019, there were green sprouts around electric cars coming into the market, then electric buses started coming. And today we see the launch of electric trucks. As a priority, I will enable inter-city mobility. In other words, charging infra on highways is our priority number one. We have electrified 33,000 kms of highways in India. Fast-charging is a cornerstone. But, if I invest into fast-charging only for cars, I won’t be able to make money even in my whole life time. Inter-city buses and inter-city trucks are going to be the biggest enablers,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the importance of clean energy for a better future, stating that “clean energy is the need of the hour”.

At COP26, India committed to reducing projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. These commitments necessitate a rapid transition to renewables.

New Delhi:

Speaking about India’s right to be treated as equals, in a session titled ‘Geo-Political Disruptions: Emerging Powers vs Existing Powers’, former permanent representative at the UN Syed Akbaruddin at the NDTV World Summit on Monday said that, “This aspiration for being treated equally in a changing world is just an extension of our independence movement.”

He said that since India has gained political independence and is economically self-sufficient, the world needs to treat India equally at a table where the latter’s voice is not heard.

He cited the example of a smartphone updating its software with the click of one button. He said that, “We are not saying the international system needs to be that fast, but it’s time for the international system to change.”

In response to that, Dr Philipp Ackermann, Ambassador of Germany to India & Bhutan, said that India has gained a high level on the international stage and should not be asking questions of equal footing. He added, “The American president comes, the German Chancellor comes, they seek the Prime Minister’s wisdom and ideas. India is being treated as an equal partner already.”

As a footnote, Mr Ackermann also further stated that, even though the P5 says that the Security Council needs to be bigger, nobody has the intention to see it actuate, “they are very comfortable in their little club of 5”, he said. “India, Germany, Brazil, and Japan belong to this table. We have to keep fighting.”

Addressing what role India needs to play in climate change, Mr. Akbaruddin said that the climate transition is a difficult and complex one for India and that developed nations need to be more understanding of the needs of developing countries. Continuing on the topic of resetting the existing order, he said, “We have seen lone rangers do well sometimes but the big issues of the time require partnerships.” 

He was of the opinion that the challenges will be in climate, artificial intelligence, space and more, which are by definition transboundary and states will have to work to find solutions for that and that will come through partnerships and not lone rangers.
 

New Delhi:

Russia has never done anything to impact India’s interests negatively, and there is an economic and strategic logic behind New Delhi maintaining strong ties with Moscow, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said at the NDTV World Summit today.

During an interaction with NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia, the veteran diplomat was asked how India-Russia ties would develop in the coming years.

“The Prime Minister is going to Russia tomorrow, so this is a timely question. If you look at our history with Russia after Independence, Russia has never done anything to impact our interests negatively. Among the major countries, there are not many about who we can say this. Today Russia’s situation is different, I think Russia’s relationship with the West has broken down, so you have a Russia which is turning much more towards Asia. Should Russia not have multiple options in Asia? Should we not take what is good for us in national interests?”

“And clearly, Russia as a major natural resources power has a complementarity with India at this stage of development where we are big resource consumers. It isn’t just Russian oil, it could be fertilisers, metals, coal. There is a whole economic logic to it. There is also a basic strategic logic, if you look at the Eurasian landmass, there are three big countries. You always keep a balance, a relationship,” the minister said.

New Delhi’s ties with Moscow have been a key geopolitical talking point over the past few years, especially after the Ukraine War began. With the West siding with Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, India’s decision to buy Russian oil had come under scrutiny.

India has consistently refused to take sides in the conflict and said it is on the side of peace. This was also reflected in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visits to both Kyiv and Moscow.

Earlier, articulating the Indian position over the decision to procure Russian oil, Dr Jaishankar had said New Delhi has a right to prioritise the interests of its people.

“I understand that there is a conflict situation (in Ukraine). I also understand that Europe has a point of view and Europe will make the choices it will make that is Europe’s right. But for Europe to make choices which prioritises its energy needs and then ask India to do something else..,” he had said.

India’s growth in the manufacturing, healthcare and services sectors over the last decade has made it a force to reckon with. The next thing the country aims for is to become a beacon of sustainable growth. How does India plan to accomplish this goal? At the 2024 NDTV World Summit session titled “Disrupting Indian Industry for Good”, the country’s top industry leaders — Baba Kalyani, Chairperson of Bharat Forge; Sunita Reddy, Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group; and Ajay Shriram, Chairperson and Managing Director of DCM Shriram Ltd — explained what needs to be done and how.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address at NDTV World Summit.

Manufacturing: “Made in India” for India and the World

Baba Kalyani underlined the significance of the manufacturing sector in achieving India’s Viksit Bharat objectives outlined by the government. According to Mr Kalyani, “Without manufacturing, India cannot achieve its goals.” Bharat Forge, which has been exporting critical components to major global automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for over two decades, is proof of India’s industrial potential.

The future of manufacturing, Mr Kalyani said, lies in the adoption of new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance productivity, efficiency and quality. “AI will make an ordinary worker extraordinary, as access to knowledge will be immediate,” he said, adding how AI can assist in technical problem-solving, optimise management processes and usher in new industries.

Healthcare Innovation: Engineering Affordable Medical Solutions

Sunita Reddy shared Apollo Hospitals’ vision for bringing healthcare and technology together to revolutionise medical device manufacturing. Ms Reddy said India had the potential to engineer medical devices at one-tenth the cost, making healthcare more affordable for millions.

“Our next journey is to combine technology and healthcare to touch 500 million lives using AI, chatbots and drones to deliver medical supplies across India,” Ms Reddy said. She also spoke about the importance of research, saying India currently spends just 0.7 per cent of its GDP on research, adding a greater investment is critical, given the country faces increasing cases of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. “AI technology can help save trillions of dollars in healthcare costs,” she concluded.

Innovation in Agriculture: Disruption through Technology

Ajay Shriram enumerated how innovation was transforming India’s agriculture sector. He praised the government’s efforts in implementing the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile) Trinity, connecting farmers to essential services and innovations in real time.

Mr Shriram also discussed the role of technology transfer in modernising agriculture and the rise of e-commerce, making agricultural products more accessible. “Disruptions are happening in all aspects of the medical and agriculture industries,” Mr Shriram noted.

Defence Technology: Courage and Complexity

Baba Kalyani discussed India’s strides in defence, a field that demands both passion and perseverance. “Ten years ago, we never dreamt of exporting artillery guns, and today, we have the largest capacity to do so,” he said. Mr Kalyani explained the importance of intellectual capability and the need to produce superior products.

Green Fuel and Sustainability

On sustainability, Ajay Shriram discussed the government’s push for ethanol blending to reduce India’s fuel import bill. He explained the blending target has been raised to 20 per cent, highlighting how green fuel initiatives align with India’s broader sustainability goals.

The panellists were unanimous in their optimism about India’s industrial future. With continued innovation, a focus on technology, and strong government support, India is poised to become a global leader in manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and defence technology. As Baba Kalyani confidently said, “India will make it happen.”