ET World Leaders Forum: From Rajnath Singh to Piyush Goyal, top ministers to address who’s who of world Inc

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will deliver the opening keynote address at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum on August 22, a signature event that will bring together an illustrious gathering of over 400 business captains, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers from India and across the globe.

Joining him at the two-day event will be key Cabinet colleagues, minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari and commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal.

Singh will set the tone for discussions on global challenges and opportunities, along the theme of The Next Global Order: Power, Purpose, Partnership. The forum will discuss key trends shaping the global order—from heightened geopolitical uncertainty and shifting trade dynamics to the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.


As defence minister, Singh has focused on strengthening strategic resilience, enhancing technological capabilities and deepening international partnerships. At the helm of India’s defence establishment, he has directed game-changing reforms.

These have helped boost defence manufacturing, promote self-reliance and foster innovation-led growth in the sector.

The defence manufacturing sector has seen growth surge in the past few years, with annual production crossing the ₹1.5-lakh crore mark. The private sector’s entry has seen companies make significant investments in research and development, besides forging partnerships with overseas technology firms.

Gadkari has been responsible for boosting India’s road transport connectivity networks with numerous critical projects spanning the length and breadth of the country. His ministry is now pushing for the adoption of green fuel and a reduction in road accidents, besides speeding up the construction of expressways and highways. The Maharashtra-based politician has shifted his focus to quality, from quantity, with regard to road construction.

Under Gadkari’s leadership, national highways in India grew by 60% to 146,204 km, from 91,287 km in 2014. The vision is to convert 25,000 km of two-lane highways into four lanes at an investment of ₹10 lakh crore, while continuing to add more access-controlled highways and expressways to build a world-class road network ahead of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

As commerce and industry minister, Goyal is steering the country’s trade policy, while pushing for reforms to ensure ease of doing business for the local industry. His role has become even more critical against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s tariff charge.

Goyal has ensured a robust startup ecosystem and single-window clearances, and been pushing for steps to spur manufacturing. He has also led negotiations that culminated in India’s trade accords with the UK, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritius and the European Free Trade Association. He also steered production linked incentive (PLI) schemes worth ₹1.97 lakh crore aimed at lifting the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% by 2047, from about 17% currently.

Singh’s ministry is also undertaking extensive reforms this year, with a goal to establish a new defence acquisition procedure that promises expedited delivery of weapons to the armed forces. The minister has also been a driving force behind reducing India’s dependence on arms imports. Flagship projects such as the advanced multi-role combat aircraft, the Astra missile system, fighter jet engine technology and long-range UAVs have been cleared under his direction.

All this will go a long way in creating a robust defence and aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. This homegrown strength was visible during Operation Sindoor, with domestically manufactured weapons and systems being key to India’s success.