New Delhi: Businessman and Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal said that today, Indians are running the whole world. “In every country, there are at least two Indian leaders (in think tank) who are always consulted when making the country’s strategy,” he pointed out. Agarwal was speaking on the ‘Role of Entrepreneurship in Viksit Bharat’ at TV9 Network’s ‘What India Thinks Today’ (WITT 2025) Global Summit on Saturday.
“India was ahead in all sectors be it trade or anything in the past. Now, the time has come and the misconception about India will be corrected, but only agriculture can not make India great,” Agarwal added. The world cannot run on farming alone; along with farming, businesses and factories will need to be established, he said, while emphasising “Drill Baby Drill” and “Dig Baby Dig” as paths to self-reliance and sustainable economic growth.
The Vedanta Group’s founder and chairman also said that in the coming days, India’s demand is going to increase. Better opportunities are going to arise here because no other country has as large a young population as India, he underlined. Taking calculated risks, and knitting each member of a team are the traits of an entrepreneur and young Indians have it in them to be enterpreneurs, Agarwal added. “I like the enterprising streak in the youngsters, especially the girls in India,” the Vedanta chief said.
‘Chodo Kal Ki Batein…’
Agarwal said. “Look at any country in the world; they extracted wealth from the land and processed it, and that’s how they became wealthy. It is said that where the leader is a businessman (vyapari), the people of that place are beggars. Money can only come from natural resources.”
Agarwal crooned the song ‘Chodo Kal Ki Batein Kal Ki Baat Purani’ (from the 1961 film Hum Hindustani) to drive home the point that old ways should usher in the new.
Mother Earth has everything in it — oil, gas, copper, zinc etc — and we need to harness them sustainably. India has a wealth of mineral resources and with the right technology and policies, it can make stupendous progress, he pointed out. Agarwal suggested that the private and public sector need to work in tandem to bring about this growth.
