The Policy Frontier

India has the ambition to become a major manufacturing economy. But what stands in the way of turning existing capabilities into scale and global competitiveness?

In Episode 2 of The Policy Frontier, CSEP President Laveesh Bhandari is joined by Prerna Prabhakar and Ganesh Sivamani to examine the challenges facing Indian manufacturing.

The conversation explores scale, supply chains, high input costs, labour, R&D and technology, quality control orders, compliance costs and the realities faced by MSMEs. It also looks at India’s existing strengths — including its entrepreneurial base and established manufacturing capabilities, and asks what could help firms become more productive and competitive.

The central question: How can India scale manufacturing?

Spotify episode description

Critical minerals are becoming central to the future of energy, industry and economic security. But for India, the challenge goes far beyond securing access to minerals.

In the first episode of The Policy Frontier, CSEP President Laveesh Bhandari speaks with Veda Vaidyanathan and Karthik Bansal about India's critical minerals challenge and the choices it faces.

What are the real barriers to developing critical mineral projects in India? How should India balance domestic capabilities with dependence on other countries? What role can partnerships with resource-rich countries play? And what does the emerging global race for critical minerals mean for India's economic and strategic interests?

The conversation looks at mining, community trust, supply chains, resource diplomacy, India–Africa partnerships and the broader geopolitical shifts shaping access to critical minerals.

The Critical Minerals Race: Where Does India Stand?

Listen to Episode 1 of The Policy Frontier from the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP).