'CEA wants to talk with you': Startup founder surprised to get an invite from Finance Ministry to talk about his challenges and policy changes needed to grow businesses in India

Chandru Rajendran, founder of the sourcing and manufacturing company Procurio, was surprised to receive an email from the Ministry of Finance saying India's chief economic adviser wanted to speak with him personally. Rajendran said he initially thought the mail was spam and let it sit for fifteen minutes before opening it.

The email carried a landline number, and Rajendran called it to ask if this was some kind of conference he was being invited to attend. He was told instead that the chief economic adviser wanted a direct, personal conversation to hear his story, and was asked to travel to Delhi for the meeting.

Entire team of economists asked to be part of the conversation


Rajendran said the invite was not limited to him alone. The chief economic adviser also wanted his full team of economists present for the discussion, the same office responsible for putting together the Economic Survey and shaping the country's economic policies every year.

Rajendran agreed and flew to Delhi along with his team to meet the chief economic adviser's office in person.

Founder walked officials through his journey in drones and manufacturing

During the meeting, Rajendran shared his path into deep-tech, drone policy and Indian manufacturing, drawing on his earlier venture Airdonex and his current company Procurio. He said the officials listened closely to every policy challenge he raised and appeared genuinely interested in understanding what young entrepreneurs need to grow their businesses in India.

The conversation ended with Rajendran laying out Procurio's larger mission, describing the company's goal to set a new benchmark for how anyone can source and manufacture from India.

His earlier brush with the media, over a ₹300 crore drone factory

This is not the first time Rajendran's work has drawn attention outside his own company. In August 2026, a post he wrote on X seeking suggestions for where to set up a ₹300 crore drone manufacturing facility for one of his clients set off a race among state governments.

Rajendran had written, as quoted in that report, that one of his major manufacturing clients was interested in setting up a drone manufacturing facility with an investment of ₹300 crore and was evaluating multiple states for the project.

Guidance Tamil Nadu, the state's investment promotion agency, responded publicly, telling Rajendran that Tamil Nadu offered a compelling ecosystem for the project given its defence and manufacturing base. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Minister Nara Lokesh also made a direct pitch, pointing to the state's upcoming drone city in Kurnool and offering land, infrastructure and faster approvals. Some individual social media users pushed the case for Karnataka and Telangana.