Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal challenged our startups, explaining the way to the future. Showed the mirror to the startups running in the country. Piyush Goyal said that the speed of startups in our country is increasing, it is good to please the heart, but the kind of startups coming out is a matter of concern. Goyal said that startups in our country have mean business, some fancy ice cream, someone is running a start-up of gluten free biscuits, then some are happy to make a quick delivery app. Goyal questioned whether such startups would benefit the country’s infrastructure, the economy will benefit. Goyal gave the example of China’s startups. Said that we are creating a quick delivery app and the people of China are making microchips and semiconductors, developing tools of artificial intelligence, we are happy to deliver food and other items in people’s homes while people of China are supplying microchip and electric car batteries to other countries. I think there is weight in Piyush Goyal’s talk. Such startups will not prove to be helpful in achieving the goal of making India a developed country by 2047. This issue is serious and is associated with the future of the country.
After Goyal’s speech, Adit Palicha, founder of Quick Commerce Start Up Zepto, Indo-Pay founder Ashneer Grover, Infosys board member Mohandas Pai objected to the statement. Adit Palicha wrote a long post on Twitter and said that it is very easy to criticize India’s start-up, but no one sees what the atmosphere is if China and America’s start-ups are doing amazing. Adit said that Zepto gave employment to one and a half million people in the last three-four years, and pays more than one thousand crores tax to the government. When the people of startups started objecting, Piyush Goyal again went to the startup Mahakumbh and said that the government wants India’s startups to be the eldest in the world, do the best work, but will not be done just by speaking, something new will have to be shown. Goyal said that he suggests that now we will be able to compete with future challenges.
I think what Piyush Goyal said, he told the truth. He only showed a mirror to the startups, strictly said to encourage the youth. His words should be taken with this spirit. There are two million startups in the country so far. Startups are providing employment, whether it is food delivery app, services apps, or other apps of marketing, less educated poor and middle class youth are getting work. This is a good thing. This is its positive side. But such start ups are only producing delivery boys. Due to this, the country’s economy, the country’s infrastructure, our exports are not benefiting. That is why Piyush Goyal’s concern is justified because the government is openly helping startups. The Government of India kept Rs 2500 crore for a startup, the government gives cheap loan to start a startup, for this a budget of five hundred crores has been kept. In the first three years, whatever profit the startup will be tax free, there will be no capital gains tax on the startup.
Large companies that loan startups, companies get tax exemption on it. Even after giving so much convenience, if we are happy only by making a delivery app, then it is a matter of concern. Now the world has changed. The new delivery apps cannot compete with giats like Amazon and Flipkart and by the time our country’s startups are worth it, a lot of new will have come in the market. That is why there is a need to look at the future. Two steps ahead need to be thought. That is why Piyush Goyal gave the example of China. China started work on Semiconductor, Microchip and AI ten years ago today. Today he is getting the benefit of this. If our start UPS had thought about it, then today India would have benefited from it. Now the US has put tariffs on China. There is a place for us in the international market, but we have neither products nor infrastructure. So this opportunity will come out of our hands. Countries like Taiwan and South Korea will take advantage of this.
Trump’s tariff: How to face India challenge?
The tariff war that US President Donald Trump has started the impact has started appearing worldwide. The stock market ranging from India to Japan, China, Vietnam., Australia, New Zealand and European countries, including the US stock market, declined drastically. Investors started withdrawing money from the stock market. Around 10 lakh crore rupees of investors were drowned in the stock market here. From the perspective of India, Trump’s tariff can benefit us in many sectors. Cloth and garment expenses can be increased. In this, we can overtake Bangladesh and Vietnam. In electronics and telecom we can overtake Vietnam and Thailand. India’s largest export is drugs, which is currently tariff free. However, it should not be assumed that the changes that Trump has made in the tariff is his last move. There are many challenges yet to come.
Our old experience suggests that America will ask India to improve agriculture. The MSP will ask for improvement in the system, which we do not need to believe. America will ask us to change the Patent Act so that its old time drugs can get protection. America will seek concessions from us for companies like Amazon and Wallmart. They will ask Indian customers to provide the facility to sell goods directly, but we should focus on our manufacturing, our market and our exports regardless of all these. If Trump’s slogan is America First, then Narendra Modi’s slogan is also India First. We can turn the crisis in the world from Trump’s tariff. You can benefit your manufacturing sector tremendously. Can speed up Make in India. If we are able to prepare infrastructure for this, improve the labor laws, remove the obstacles in the way of increasing business, and the biggest thing, can change our thinking about businessmen, stop thinking that every businessman is dishonest, see how many jobs they give, how much infrastructure they can, then how much infrastructure can be changed, then how much infrastructure can be changed, then how much infrastructure can be changed, then how much infrastructure can be changed. If you want to make your place in the world, then you have to think like a businessman, those who do business will have to be respected. There is no other way.
Waqf Bill: Protest political, apprehension waste
A few hours after the Waqf Bill passed in Parliament, there were demonstrations in many cities of the country after Namaz. Demonstrations took place in many cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Patna, Kishanganj, Jamui, Aligarh, Kanpur and Meerut. Most of the ruckus and the most sharp arguments occurred in Kolkata. The strategy of Muslim organizations is clear. Now all Maulana will start protest across the country, will give dharna. The Waqf Bill was debated 14 hours in the Lok Sabha and 13 hours in the Rajya Sabha. Leaders of all parties got an opportunity to present their arguments but most of the opposition leaders only did political dialogues. Everyone kept saying that the Waqf Bill is against Muslims and the Constitution, the government wants to grab the property of Waqf, but no one told which article this bill is a violation of the constitution. Well, such allegations were also made when Articill 370 was removed. That case also went to the Supreme Court. The court decided him. Now the Waqf will also decide on the bill. But there is tremendous politics on this issue, it will continue. (Rajat Sharma)
See: ‘Today’s talk with Rajat Sharma’ full episode of April 04, 2025
Latest india news
