In Conversation with Salman Khurshid: Ex-Vice Chairperson of India’s Niti Aayog Dr. Rajiv Kumar
Published 14 Jul, 2026 11:43In the latest episode of “In Conversation with Salman Khurshid”, the former vice chairperson of India’s Niti Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, joins former external affairs minister of India, Salman Khurshid. Dr. Rajiv recalls the journey of India’s economic liberalization in 1991 and busts the myth that it was borne out of crisis. He says the thought of liberalization was there right from Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. Regarding China, he is of the view that it is far ahead of India as an economic and technological power, and that India should accept this reality and open itself up to China, its technology and investments. He believes that the $100 billion India-Russia trade target shouldn’t just be a goal, it’s a necessity and one way to achieve it is to tap into the huge demand for non-chemical and organic Agri products in Russia.