logo
India can be a Global Unifying Force to be Reckoned With: Bob Sternfels

India can be a Global Unifying Force to be Reckoned With: Bob Sternfels

Time of India25-06-2025
Live Events
India's big opportunity lies in being a global unifier that brings together countries and regions that may not otherwise be in harmony with each other, said Bob Sternfels, global managing partner at McKinsey & Co. It could not only be the link between the US and China but also with other parts of the world, Sternfels, 54, told ET in an interview, underscoring the benefits of the country's youth.'Increasingly, India's leading companies are global companies, not just Indian companies,' said Sternfels, a self-confessed Indophile. 'So, the upside is real — if India can walk that tightrope, staying connected to everyone, that's the real opportunity.'He said India's decade of 'miraculous progress' is unmatched in scale and speed, but it's now time for a gear shift.'It's like a marathon — most want to just finish. But the winners change gears in the second half. And, for India, the window is now, when India is young. India has around 30 years before it becomes an ageing society,' he said. 'Youth is India's advantage, and we need to move faster, not settle for 5.5% or 6% growth. Can we push for 7% or 8%?'The McKinsey CEO said the Indian economy needs a jolt to grow faster. The leap will come from increased capital and foreign direct investment (FDI), and an education system that prioritises learning agility over static knowledge, Sternfels said.Youth is India's advantage, and we need to move faster, not settle for 5.5-6% growth.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

No pause on Russian oil imports, India continues imports based on economic rationale
No pause on Russian oil imports, India continues imports based on economic rationale

Time of India

time18 minutes ago

  • Time of India

No pause on Russian oil imports, India continues imports based on economic rationale

India has not halted oil purchases from Russia in response to the US President's tariff threat and continues to buy based solely on economic considerations, said AS Sahney, Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the country's largest oil firm. Purchase volumes may fluctuate monthly based on the discounts offered on Russian crude grades like Urals. While discounts had previously reached as high as $ 40 per barrel, they have narrowed to just $ 1.5 late last month, resulting in reduced offtake. Discounts have since widened to about $ 2.70. However, India's intent to continue buying Russian oil remains unchanged. India became the largest customer of Russian oil from 2022, after western countries shunned Russian oil and imposed sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Sahney said refiners like IOC buy crude oil from Russia purely on economic consideration and have not been asked to cut or boost purchase in response to US tariffs, he said. "There is no pause," he said. Russian oil has continued to flow to Indian refiners in July as well as this month. "We continue to buy, purely based on economic considerations, that is to say if the pricing and characteristics of the crude make sense in our scheme of processing, we buy," he told reporters here. "No special effort is being made to either increase or decrease (the import volumes). We are buying crude as per economic considerations," he said. Imports from Russia made up for 22-23 per cent of all the crude oil that IOC refineries processed in the April-June period. US President Donald Trump last week announced an additional 25 per cent tariff on US imports from India -- raising the overall duty to 50 per cent -- as a penalty for the country's continued imports of Russian oil. Since the steep tariffs are likely to hit the $ 40 billion of non-exempt exports that India does to the US, there has been chatter around stopping or curtailing oil imports from Russia. "There are no sanctions on Russian crude," he said. "India has not done anything that violates any sanctions". Separately, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Director (Finance) Vetsa Ramakrishna Gupta on an investor call said the discounts have narrowed to $ 1.5 per barrel, and led to lower imports last month. In the first quarter, Russian oil made up 34 per cent of BPCL's crude intake and the company hopes to return to a 30-35 per cent ratio as long as there are no sanctions, he said. Before February 2022, Russian crude oil accounted for less than 1 per cent of India's total oil imports. However, after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, western nations shunned Russian energy, leading to Russian crude being available at discounted rates compared to global benchmarks. Seizing the economic opportunity, India ramped up its purchases, significantly increasing its reliance on Russian oil to meet domestic energy needs. Russian crude oil now meets 30 per cent of the requirement. Sahney said at no time was import of crude oil from Russia sanctioned and so India continued to purchase keeping in mind economic considerations. "Such purchases will continue unless sanctions are imposed," he said. "We have not got any instruction (from the government) to either increase or decrease purchase. We are doing business as usual." About talk of refiners being asked to increase purchases from the US in a bid to placate Trump, IOC Chairman said, "Neither are we being told to buy more nor are we told to buy less from US or any other destination. Economic considerations dictate our actions."

Discounts dip but Economics keep Russian oil flowing to India
Discounts dip but Economics keep Russian oil flowing to India

Time of India

time18 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Discounts dip but Economics keep Russian oil flowing to India

NEW DELHI: The flow of Russian crude to India remains unabated in spite of discounts shrinking to $1.5-2 per barrel as market factors and input requirement continue to drive refiners' choice in the absence of any govt directive for or against those imports amid US and European Union (EU) pressure. 'We are buying crude as per the economics. We are not making any extra effort for either increasing or decreasing Russian crude (purchase)," IndianOil chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney said on Thursday. Coming from the head of India's largest state-run refiner and a major buyer of Russian crude, the statement can be construed as an indication the govt remains undaunted by western pressure against purchase of those barrels. Govt sources said a team of officials from the external and commerce ministries is set to visit Russia for further discussion on a Rupee-Rouble trade, something both countries have been pursuing for years. Several cargoes of Russian crude was delivered to western ports last week, contrary to foreign media reports of India pausing purchase of Russian oil. Describing those reports as 'wrong', Sahney pointed out that Russian oil was not sanctioned like Iranian or Venezuelan crude but is only subject to a price cap. He said the US had set the price cap at $60/barrel, among other curbs, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The EU's latest curbs has lowered the cap to $47 (at current oil prices). There is no curb on buying Russian oil within these conditions. Sahney said buying (clean) Russian oil even at small discounts could make sense for refiners if the yield patten of that particular grade suits the production plan at a given point. 'If the pricing and characteristics of the crude suits our scheme of processing, we buy,' he said explaining the monthly variations in the quantity of imports from Russia or the US. Separately, executives of other refining companies said the wind-down provisions in the US penalty on New Delhi allow import of Russian crude loaded upto seven days from the order, after which the 25% additional tariff will be imposed on Indian goods exports. 'We will continue to import Russian oil but will not violate the sanctions,' an executive of major refining company said requesting that neither he nor his company be identified.

Bharat Petroleum said to have bought 10 million barrels of US oil via 5-month tender
Bharat Petroleum said to have bought 10 million barrels of US oil via 5-month tender

Time of India

time18 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Bharat Petroleum said to have bought 10 million barrels of US oil via 5-month tender

India's state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp has awarded a five-month tender for 10 million barrels of U.S. oil to European trader Glencore, two people with knowledge of the matter said, aiding India's efforts to deepen energy ties with Washington. India, the world's third-largest oil importer, is increasing imports from the United States as negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement continue. Under the deal, Glencore will deliver 2 million barrels of WTI Midland crude per month from November to March to the Indian refiner, the sources said, doubling the volume BPCL imported under its previous tender. Indian refiners and traders do not comment on oil trade issues citing confidentiality. The increased imports are expected to support India's efforts to narrow its trade surplus with the U.S., which stood at $45.7 billion last year. Trade tensions between India and the United States have escalated sharply in the last few weeks, with U.S. President Donald Trump imposing a 25% tariff on Indian goods starting August 7 and threatening similar measures over the Asian country's continued purchases of Russian oil. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in February, India pledged to raise U.S. energy purchases from $10 billion to $25 billion, with both nations targeting $500 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Indian refiners have already increased imports of U.S. oil from the spot markets on improved arbitrage economics of sending Atlantic Basin grades to Asia. Refiners also plan to raise imports of cooking gas from the U.S. from 2026, while the federal government is looking at eliminating import tax on propane and liquefied natural gas purchases from the U.S.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store