Reception from 5:30PM - Program from 6:30PM

Favorable demographics, encouraging macroeconomics, pro-growth government initiatives, and evolving monetary policy are shaping India’s transformational growth story and presenting tremendous potential for overseas investors. The recent improvement in the World Bank's Ease-of-Doing-Business Index is also expected to stimulate a more positive sentiment in India’s economy.

The unveiling of the upcoming budget 2018-19 will be the first exercise following landmark events such as demonetization and the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) and ahead of the 2019 general elections. The investment community expects an overhaul of the Centre’s budgeting process, including the much-speculated switch for a January–December financial year.

What expectations does the private investment community have for a more aggressive fiscal push? What effect will this budget have on the economy and the future of monetary and fiscal policies? Join us for a panel discussion where experts will answer these and many other questions about the Indian economy and project future business prospects for 2018.

Speakers

Naveen Aggarwal is a Tax Partner and Chief Operating Officer for KPMG India,  he leads the India-US and India-Canada corridors for KPMG India. Naveen is a CPA with over 22 years of professional experience, including 9 years as a Partner with KPMG India. He advises a number of clients in the Technology, Media & Entertainment, Telecom, E-commerce, Hospitality and Defense sectors on entry strategy, cross border investment structuring and advisory, funding and cash repatriation strategies, business model review and restructuring, tax compliance and controversy management and tax advocacy matters.

Nisha Biswal is the President of the U.S.-India Business Council. Ms. Biswal served as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs in the U.S. Department of State from 2013 to 2017, where she oversaw the U.S.-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation, including launching the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. In recognition of her efforts, Biswal was awarded the prestigious Samman Award by the President of India in January 2017. She previously served as Assistant Administrator for Asia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Biswal also spent over ten years on Capitol Hill, serving as staff director on the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives. ‎Most recently, she was a senior advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group, where she helped expand the firm’s India and South Asia practice.

Sandeep Chakravorty assumed charge as Consul General of India in New York on August 3, 2017. He has been a member of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) since 1996. He has served in India’s Missions in Madrid, Bogota, Dhaka and Lima. Before joining the Government of India, he worked on forestry, environment and watershed development issues in India.

Rishi Chugh is a partner in KPMG’s Charlotte Business Tax Services practice. He currently serves as the global lead tax partner for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and as the Partner in-charge of KPMG’s US-India practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in tax compliance, consulting and ASC 740 review for public and privately held companies.

Shailesh Kumar is a Asia Practice Director at Eurasia Group. He closely follows the Indian government's economic, security, and foreign policies, as well as its relations with the US and immediate neighbors. Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Shailesh was the India economist at the US Department of Treasury.

Arvind Panagariya  is the Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.  Fomerly Vice-Chairman of the government of India think-tank NITI Aayog between January 2015 and August 2017 and former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank, Dr. Panagariya has authored more than fifteen books.  He writes a monthly column in the Times of India and his guest columns have appeared in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and India Today. The President of India recently honored Dr. Panagariya with Padma Bhushan.

Strategic Partners