Niti Aayog’s Suman Bery urges India's corporate sector to drive growth, integrate MSMEs, and build greener supply chains to compete globally
New Delhi: Sensing a fierce competition with its peers like China, Niti Aayog vice chairman Suman Bery on Thursday said that India’s challenge is to keep pushing forward and the country’s corporate sector must step up to achieve the growth target. The statement of the government’s think-tank comes after a series of brainstorming sessions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with industry through a webinar this week, asking them for innovation in manufacturing and to take advantage of the opportunities available in the global supply chain to boost growth.
Addressing the CII National Conference on Responsive Supply Chain for Indian Manufacturing, Bery said that as the world moves towards greener supply chains, Indian enterprises — both large and small — must adapt. “Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) also need to be integrated into larger supply chains to drive real competitiveness and achieve 7-8 per cent growth,” he said.
Re-emphasising the role of the private sector in unleashing India’s growth potential, Bery also said that India has miles to go to keep up with China and will have to attract MSMEs from other countries to be fully competitive. “Sustainability is no longer just about compliance; it is becoming a core factor in global competitiveness. MSMEs must be supported in this transition, ensuring they are part of a greener, more resilient industrial ecosystem,” he said.
Bery also said that India has staged a remarkable economic recovery post-Covid, emerging as the fastest-growing large economy in the world, as acknowledged by the IMF. “With moderate inflation and declining poverty levels, the country is on a strong growth trajectory. The challenge now is to sustain and accelerate this momentum,” the top economist of the government said.
“Historically, India has functioned as a collection of regional economies rather than a single integrated market. But with GST and major infrastructure investments, we are now transitioning into a truly unified national economy. This integration will be one of the most powerful drivers of India’s future growth,” he added.