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GST 2.0 reloads India’s growth story at Network18’s power-packed summit
MUMBAI: Talk about tax reform with extra firepower Network18’s Reforms Reloaded 2025 lived up to its billing as India’s biggest policy stage, convening the nation’s top minds just as GST 2.0 kicked in on 22 September 2025. Policymakers, CEOs, economists, defence strategists, and global investors gathered in Delhi to decode how the new regime could reshape India’s economic trajectory and set the tone for its Vision 2030 leap.
The day was packed with insights, optimism, and the occasional hard truth. From GST reforms to defence indigenisation, divestment to digitisation, leaders sketched out how India could convert reform rhetoric into real, lasting impact.
Chief economic advisor V Anantha Nageswaran called GST 2.0 “a very significant landmark reform”, predicting it will provide a “very significant boost to domestic demand”. Coupled with recent tax concessions, he said, the multiplier effect would “quite definitely boost GDP numbers”, with FY26 growth expected towards the upper end of the 6.3–6.8 per cent range.
Tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emphasised that the reforms would touch lives across strata, “from a farmer to a millionaire in Mumbai,” with 95 per cent of goods seeing a reduction in taxes. This, he argued, would put more money into consumers’ pockets, spur MSMEs, and even boost domestic tourism.
Consumer affairs minister Pralhad Joshi went a step further, hailing GST 2.0 as “the biggest reform since 1975”. He announced a dedicated consumer helpline to tackle complaints about GST benefits not being passed on and praised the new online input credit refund system: “Compliances have been simplified, refunds have been made online… what can be a bigger relief for businesses?”
DIPAM secretary Arunish Chawla highlighted how reforms in capital markets were democratising investment. Despite FIIs pulling out Rs 1 lakh crore between January and August, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) poured in Rs 5 lakh crore, with two-thirds of DIIs now individual investors. “As markets stabilise, we will bring in more OFS, minority stake sales and IPOs, and exceed this year’s Rs 47,000 crore divestment target,” Chawla said, cautioning against obsession with headline figures.
Defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh spotlighted the government’s push for self-reliance, announcing 25–30 billion dollars in annual capex for the next decade, with 75 per cent of that to be spent within India. The move, he argued, would not only strengthen defence capabilities but also catalyse indigenous manufacturing and innovation.
Beyond GST, panellists debated India’s reform roadmap: asset monetisation, renewable energy, frontier tech, and reshaping globalisation in India’s favour. The mood was decidedly optimistic that GST 2.0, alongside these reforms, could power a competitive, consumption-led economy.
Network18 (Broadcast) CEO Avinash Kaul framed the day’s significance: “At a time when global economic shifts and technological disruption are transforming industries, Reforms Reloaded sparks future-focused conversations on governance, GST, and India’s evolving role in the global economy.”
By the end of the summit, one thing was clear: GST 2.0 isn’t just another acronym in India’s policy alphabet soup. It’s the pivot around which India’s growth story for the next decade will turn, a story that leaders at Reforms Reloaded believe could make Bharat both resilient at home and credible on the world stage.
Because when it comes to India’s economic future, the message from the summit was loud and clear: it’s time to reform, reload, and rise.
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Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
