India should be seen as investment partner, not just a market, says MoS Jitin Prasada
New Delhi, May 19
India should be seen not merely as a market for selling products but as a long-term investment partner, with foreign companies encouraged to work alongside Indian businesses in the country's growth story, says Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada on Tuesday.
Speaking at the industry body Assocham's India Business Reforms Summit 2026, the minister said India's economic transformation is now being driven not only by metropolitan cities but also by smaller towns and rural areas, creating a large domestic market for businesses and investors.
"India is changing bottom up as well. It's not only about our metros. So that's where. We are the biggest market," Jitin Prasada said.
He said the government is encouraging global investors to become part of India's manufacturing and business ecosystem, rather than using the country only as a consumer market.
"But I tell the investors, also the foreign investors, that don't treat India as just a market. We want to partner with you. We want them to invest in India," he said.
Prasada said India offers a stable business environment backed by legal certainty and transparent governance, which gives confidence to domestic and foreign investors.
"This government, India, we have a rule of law. There is transparency. And there's an equal footing for everybody. There is no shortcuts anymore," he said.
The minister said recent free trade agreements with various countries have expanded market access for Indian businesses and opened fresh opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises.
"These FTAs have opened up a market you can't imagine. And our MSMEs are going to be the growth engine," he said.
He added that the government's industrial strategy focuses on expanding value addition, technology and logistics infrastructure to strengthen manufacturing competitiveness.
"We want to add to the value chain. It's not only about manufacturing... It's about tangible results. Our Gati Shakti portal, the logistics policy, the export promotion policy -- all those things coupled are ensuring that India is moving at such a rapid pace," Prasada said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a foreign investor, this is exactly the kind of clarity we need. India's combination of a massive domestic market, improving infrastructure, and rule of law is unmatched in Asia. The Gati Shakti portal has made logistics planning so much easier. We're seriously considering expanding our operations in Tamil Nadu.
Good words, but let's see the implementation on ground. Our MSMEs are still struggling with red tape and delayed payments. If FTAs are opening markets, our small businesses need actual support—cheaper credit, GST simplification, and logistics subsidies. Otherwise it's just top-level rhetoric. 🤷♀️
This is a smart shift in narrative. I've worked with Indian companies in Bangalore and Pune—the talent and energy is incredible. But we need sustained reforms in contract enforcement and ease of doing business at the state level. Some states are still quite bureaucratic compared to Gujarat or Maharashtra.
"No shortcuts anymore" — that's a powerful message. Indians are tired of the old license raj and corruption. If we maintain transparency and level playing field, investors will naturally come. Just hope the same standards apply to domestic businesses too. We need a true investment partnership, not one-sided deals.
As someone who lived in Delhi for 5 years and now works in Sydney, I can see the difference. India's tier-2 cities like Indore, Coimbatore, and Visakhapatnam are booming. The bottom-up growth is real. If they can fix last-mile connectivity and power supply in smaller towns, India will be unstopp
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