BCG India Head on India’s Manufacturing Test

India wants manufacturing to power its next big leap from 17% to 24% of GDP, and eventually to a $30 trillion economy. But how realistic is that in a world of tariffs, fractured supply chains and geopolitical churn? In this episode, host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Rahul Jain, India head at the Boston Consulting Group, who breaks down what it will actually take. He explains why India’s large domestic market is an advantage, why indigenisation and exports must rise together, and why scale, cost competitiveness and real R&D investment will decide whether India becomes a global manufacturing force, why three-quarters of cost-cutting programmes fail, how resilience has become a core business metric, and why CEOs need to get comfortable making decisions in uncertainty rather than waiting for stability. As global alliances shift and AI reshapes business, he argues that India’s demographics, STEM talent and political stability give it a rare opening if industry and government can move with speed and discipline.

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Check out other interesting episodes from the host like ET in the Valley:  Grant Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Gamma, ET in the Valley: Databricks Co-founder Patrick Wendell, ET in the Valley: Replit Founder and CEO Amjad Masad, ET in the Valley: ElevenLabs Co-Founder Mati Staniszewski and much more.

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