Four broad concerns capture the current context surrounding India’s external trade. First is our sluggish export performance for the last several years owing to global slowdown and also due to our declining competitiveness. With a share of 1.65 per cent in world goods exports today, India ranks 19th among all countries that is way below its size or GDP. India’s merchandise imports has also gone past US$ 500 billion now. The trade deficit at US$ 176 billion in 2018-19 as a result is over 50 per cent of exports. The need for a strong push for manufacturing exports is compelling.

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a panel discussion on economy with Dr Roger Moser and Mr S. Gurumurthy on 15th November 2018. Dr Roger Moser is currently an Assistant Professor and the Director of Asia Connect Center at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Mr S. Gurumurthy is an eminent Indian political and economic analyst and also the Chairman of the VIF. The discussion was attended by many prominent Indian strategic and economic experts. After a short welcome address by Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, the panel discussion commenced with Dr Roger Moser.

For 70 years, governance and administration of India has been guided by left-leaning economists fed on western precepts of the subcontinent's history and culture. A new generation of policy-makers call this myopic and are ready for a repositioning of the past and a reassessment of the future.

Business Standard reported on August 16 that “India’s GDP (is) expected to grow at 7.4% in FY19”;1 to the general population this statement brings in a wave of optimism regarding not just the economy of the country but also a sense of progress in the well-being of the people of India. It gives away a vibe of progress that is so general in its scope that it’s difficult to ascertain what this growth rate actually means. It’s against such blind optimism that David Pilling writes “The Growth Delusion”.