Mr. Ar Rm Arun was invited to speak at the 79th Annual General Meeting of FICCI on Jan 8, 2007 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. Representing the young entrepreneurs of the nation, he responded to the young parliamentarians who shared their views on reservations in private sector, education, infrastructure and a change in mindset will lead to 'India rising'.

Inaugurating the 79th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), The Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, appreciated industry’s concern about the paucity of physical infrastructure, but pointed to the equal emphasis needed on social infrastructure. Education and health are slated for additional support. In particular, vocational education would get a big boost.

Mr. Singh however, lay greater emphasis on efficient investment in these sectors. Public-private partnership and radical political-administrative reform are the routes to greater efficiency. Given that few politicians have the stomach for political-administrative reform, public-private partnership would appear to be the alternative

The meet was also addressed by Mr Advani . Talking about India as a great economic power in the making, Mr Advani referred to Ratan Tata’s bid to acquire British Steel company Corus and Laxmi Mittal’s Arcelor venture. “In the eyes of the world , India has now become synonymous with excellence in information technology. India is also making its mark on innovation and manufacturing in IT and telecom hardware, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, auto components manufacturing and food processing,” he said.

Recognizing the presence of the young parliamentarians, Mr. Arun recognized the fact that India has began grooming the future leadership. Listing the Challenges for growth & emphasizing the need for Long Term Strategy, he suggested 4 key elements, namely: Intellectual Property Development, Effective Implementation, Sound Values System & Positive Effects of Infrastructure.

Talking about the need for enhancing Intellectual Property Development in India he gave examples of for IP to be encouraged in Biotechnology, Consumer electronics & Automotive. He illustrated his suggestions giving positive & negative examples of how the nation had dealt with some of these key issues. He stressed the need for speed in execution and said that effective implementation in Governance, requires transparency & accountability. He also spoke about how a sound value system is what differentiates long-term players from others. Leader must walk the talk in setting the right examples for others to follow, he said.

Drawing a parallel on some of the established economies, Mr. Arun suggested the need for infrastructure to lead growth, a proven format adopted by many successful countries. Referring to the huge investment required he suggested that it presented opportunities for Public Private Partnerships.

He also presented on how Equal Opportunity is possible thru better infrastructure. Availability of proper infrastructure across India will provide the necessary boost for the much needed economic development in rural India. Basic facilities like Education & Healthcare still need to be addressed.

Finally addressing infrastructure issue he also mentioned that, there is need to also pay attention to the Environment - The price of neglecting the environment is hefty and on many occasions the damage is irreversible.