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EVENTS
Strengthening India’s Economy: Union Budget Reforms and Global Uncertainties Under Trump” Jointly organized by Jaipuria Institute of Managmement, Noida and Policy Watch India Foundation
21st February, 2025 at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida
The Policy Watch India Foundation, in collaboration with the Jaipuria Institute of Management, hosted a high-level panel discussion on "Strengthening India’s Economy: Union Budget Reforms and Global Uncertainties Under Trump.” The session brought together policymakers, economists, and industry experts to deliberate on India’s economic resilience and strategic roadmap towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
The discussion focused on India’s recent economic performance, the significance of Budget 2025-26, and challenges posed by global uncertainties including geopolitical tensions and potential shifts in U.S. trade policy. Emphasis was laid on enabling growth through industrial competitiveness, infrastructural investments, MSME support, and demand stimulation via fiscal and monetary policies.
As India aims for an ambitious 8% annual growth over the next two decades, the panel explored actionable policy recommendations and institutional reforms needed to sustain momentum. The event underscored the importance of collaborative governance, economic freedom, and strategic foresight in shaping India’s long-term development trajectory.
A round table discussion titled ‘Will the slowdown in bank deposits hurt India’s economic growth trajectory’
26th December, 2024 at India International Centre, New Delhi
India has the fastest growing country among the top 10 global economies. Given the current trajectory, it is at the cusp of becoming the world's third-largest economy. The high economic growth rate offers excellent opportunities for everyone and almost all life spaces. However, it also brings various challenges that may question the sustainability of this growth momentum. The basic tenet of a high growth rate is a high saving rate. The household saving rate in 2023 is 30% plus, lower than the peak rate of around 37.8% in 2008. However, there has been a noticeable shift in Indian households' savings patterns in recent years. With the growing awareness and popularity of financial markets, many investors have started allocating a portion of their savings to mutual funds and equity markets, which is directly affecting the deposit growth.
An esteemed panel of experts shared their insights on the question: ‘Will the current slowdown in bank deposits hurt India’s economic growth trajectory’ at a roundtable discussion organised by the Policy Watch India Foundation.
PWIF with Flipkart and GSRLM Empower Women in Goa
17th December, 2024 at Panaji, Goa
Workshop aimed at empowering women, underprivileged communities, and small industries in Goa. Organized by the Policy Watch India Foundation and National Rural Livelihood Mission Foundation, is supported by Flipkart to help self-help groups leverage digital platforms for business growth. The Honorable Chief Minister Goa, Mr. Pramod Sawant, was the chief guest at the event and Flipkart’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Shri Rajneesh Kumar as the keynote speaker.
Major step towards empowering Indore’s self-help group women with digital skills
14th November, 2024 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Women from various self-help groups in Indore received training under the Union Government’s National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), a widely recognized initiative aimed at empowering rural women. India’s leading e-commerce platform, Flipkart, provided detailed guidance in collaboration with Policy Watch India Foundation on digital technology to assist these women in digital proficiency. The event, held at the Ahilyabai Holkar auditorium, was attended by several prominent figures, including Indore MP Shri Shankar Lalwani, who served as the chief guest, and Flipkart’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Shri Rajneesh Kumar as the keynote speaker.
A workshop with Flipkart to increase e-commerce business for Faridabad’s women's self-help groups and artisans
4th October, 2024 at Faridabad District, Haryana
Women from self-help groups in Faridabad learned new skills through an e-commerce platform. These women gained detailed insights into selling their products digitally via Flipkart. Policy Watch India Foundation, in collaboration with the National Rural Livelihood Mission Foundation and supported by Flipkart, successfully hosted an insightful workshop on e-commerce orientation and market access for artisans and women-led Self-Help Groups. India’s domestic e-commerce platform Flipkart provided technical training to digitally empower women. The 'Livelihood Development' program was graced by the presence of Union Minister of State for Cooperation, Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Flipkart's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Shri Rajneesh Kumar, and several other dignitaries.
Roundtable Discussion on Women in The Workplace & Addressing Security Concerns
14th September, 2024 at India International Centre, New Delhi
Encouraging more women to join the workforce and ensuring their safety at work go hand in hand. It's not just about opening doors for women but about creating a workplace where they feel safe, respected, and valued. If we don’t tackle issues like sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions, many women might shy away from these opportunities, no matter how available they seem. Discrimination and harassment can discourage women from fully participating, undermining the efforts to boost their presence in the workforce.
The issue of sexual harassment at work stems from deep-rooted cultural norms and patriarchal attitudes that often place men in a position of control over women. This mindset perpetuates behaviors that threaten the safety and dignity of women, creating a hostile environment. While we have laws in place to protect women, the key challenge lies in effectively enforcing them. As a society, we must come together to address these issues and make workplaces truly inclusive and safe for women.
A workshop with Flipkart for artisans and women's self-help groups in Dhar to boost business through e-commerce
9th September, 2024 at Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh
An innovative workshop aimed at making e-commerce accessible to artisans and women's self-help groups, while increasing their market reach, was organized at the PG College Auditorium in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. Supported by Flipkart, the workshop was held on September 9, 2024, by the National Rural Livelihood Mission Foundation and the Policy Watch India Foundation. The Honorable Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Mrs. Savitri Thakur, was the chief guest at the event.
The primary focus of the workshop was to train artisans and craftsmen, with a special emphasis on women's self-help groups, by orienting them to the opportunities for market access in the current digital era. The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between traditional craft skills and the demands of the modern market by providing valuable insights into e-commerce strategies and digital marketing techniques.
Roundtable Discussion on Women Empowerment in Budget 2024
13th August, 2024 at India International Centre, New Delhi
The Gender Budget for 2024-25 is 6.8% of the total Budget expenditure, which is a notable increase from the average of around 5% in the past. Under India’s first woman Finance Minister, the country’s Gender Budget has hit a peak, increasing by 38.6% over 2023-24. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led administration has made a conscious policy shift toward development driven by women, emphasising that their needs, aspirations and welfare are the government’s highest priority. Leading welfare and support schemes such as PM AWAS – Gramin and Mudra Yojana have been crafted from a gender lens, giving opportunities and agency to more women.
However, going forward as we strive to make these policies more robust and effect real change on the ground, India will need granular data that takes a close look at how these policy interventions have impacted women.
Leading voices from the social and microfinance sectors have called for better monitoring of the gender-oriented policies. They have also reiterated the need for efficient operationalisation of funds toward sustainable and measurable impact. Enabling policies can catalyse social change which can mobilise all stakeholders to contribute to India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, its centenary year of independence.
Roundtable Discussion on Bridging Digital Divide For Co-operatives & Small Business in India ‘Ways & Means’
23rd Feb, 2022 at Constitution Club of India, New Delhi.
Bridging the digital divide for co-operatives and small businesses in India is crucial for their growth and competitiveness in today & economy, this can be achieved by various means such as Government initiatives through providing financial assistance and subsidies for co-operatives and small businesses to invest in ICTs, including internet connectivity and digital infrastructure, training programs for co-operatives and small businesses on how to effectively use ICTs, partnerships between the government, private sector, and civil society can be established to provide digital infrastructure and services, access to finance for co-operatives and small businesses to invest in ICTs can be improved through the provision of loans and other financial services and finally providing digital platforms such as e- commerce, digital marketplaces, and digital financial services can be made available to co-operatives and small businesses to increase their reach and competitiveness.
Modernization of Co-operative Societies through Technology
In the context of Uttar Pradesh
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30th April 2022, at Sahakarita Bhawan, Lucknow.
Modernization of Co-operative Societies through Technology is an important step in the
development of Uttar Pradesh. The use of technology can improve efficiency and
effectiveness of cooperative societies in the state, which plays a vital role in various sectors such as agriculture, dairy, housing, horticulture, and food processing. By modernizing these societies through technology, they can increase their productivity and competitiveness, which will in turn drive the economic growth of the state. This can include the implementation of digital platforms for record-keeping, financial transactions, and communication between members, as well as the use of technology for crop management and food processing. Additionally, training programs for members and employees on the use of technology can also be organized to ensure the successful
implementation of these modernization efforts.
Ways & Means Towards a Robust Indian Start-up Eco-System
supported by Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) and Policy Watch India Foundation (PWIF)
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15th July 2022, at Laghu Udyog Bharati, New Delhi,
A robust Indian start-up ecosystem can be achieved by implementing government policies such as tax incentives, grants, and subsidies for start-ups, creating a vibrant venture capital and angel investing ecosystem, investing in training and education programs to develop the necessary talent, facilitating access to customers and markets for start-ups, and promoting incubation and accelerator programs to provide mentorship, networking, and other resources for start-ups to grow and succeed.
Roundtable Discussion on “India & UPI - Success & Challenges”
supported by India Policy Foundation (IPF) and Policy Watch India Foundation (PWIF)
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8th October 2022, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
The Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in India, which was launched in 2016, has been a
success in terms of increasing digital transactions and financial inclusion in the country.
However, it also faced some challenges such as a lack of awareness and trust among certain segments of the population, issues with the implementation of the system by certain banks and merchants, and concerns about the security of digital transactions. Despite these challenges, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have taken steps to address these issues and the UPI system continues to grow and evolve to better serve the needs of the Indian population.
Roundtable Discussion on The Growing Impact of E-waste in India: Challenges for Environment and Need for Social Orientation
Supported by Lions Clubs International and Policy Watch India Foundation
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5th December 2022 at Constitution Club of India, New Delhi
The growing impact of e-waste in India is a major concern as it poses both environmental and health hazards. Electronic waste contains toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that can contaminate soil and water, and harm human health if not properly handled. Additionally, the rapid pace of technology advancement and consumer culture in India is resulting in a constant stream of discarded electronics, exacerbating the problem. As a result, there is a need for proper e-waste management systems and policies to be put in place to address this issue.