Will India be talking point for global investors for setting up shop

He has changed India's positioning with a three word buzz phrase and armed the Prime Minister with a new economic thinking to showoff to the rest of the world. Make In India. Amitabh Kant has just returned from work trips over the weekend and we are meeting to discuss the future of this campaign. Often enough we talk about Tiger (Woods) but this time it's about the Lion. The symbol Kant chose to represent the new India in search of opportunities both from within and overseas.

In his room at Udyog Bhavan in Delhi, he shares more than twenty bright brochures with me, printed with large pictures and some attractive art work. Normally one would think these were part of a tourism campaign but no these are industrial brochures. Not boring. Not dull. They are infographics rolled into simple easy to consume data. They are telling me a story. They are not intimidating. That there is a new communication by this government was evident once Modi took power, given his active interest in digital but to note that the government is also speaking that language with investors can be considered a positive for the country's new image. There is no taking away from the need for depth and delivery but to make communication and strategy simpler and smarter is definitely a move in the right direction.

We get talking about the basics – and Kant shares a three point agenda. "Making business environment friendly for investors, opening up sectors as we have seen with this government of late and making India a hub for innovation and design are central to our thinking." Make In India is not about swadeshi, it's not about being insular, it's an open campaign call for anyone willing to invest. To me Make In India is a campaign that very strategically spells out to investors that you need to come with FDI and there are some rules in place. It calls for investment, it calls for transfer of technology, it calls for employment, investment commitments for long haul and it eliminates flight of money at the slightest political turbulence.

Take the example of the Koreans who have been doing business here for over a decade and set up large industrial bases to manufacture here. It's another debate whether India will be a China in manufacturing but surely getting investors into the country to set up shop is the most basic tenet of Make In India (and by the way of FDI as well.)

Kant concedes the success of this campaign will be driven by how the government changes the business environment. Who wants to do business in a country that doesn't offer them stability? "We are focused on improving the ease of doing business." There is plenty of buzz in Delhi that the government will ease up the tax regime and bring closure to legacy taxes that upset foreign investors, particularly the one on retrospective taxation on foreign deals.

Another new project that can change a lot is a new digital and technology platform that Infosys is building for the government to connect various departments and ministries to make it a one-stop-point for entrepreneurs and company owners. I share my concerns about the time and complexities involved in setting up a business in India and Kant admits it's a slow and tedious process. However he is hopeful, technology will change that. That it will eliminate unnecessary rounds of print outs and thumb impressions.

For Amitabh Kant, who is known to have put India on the global tourism map with the Incredible India campaign, this is the biggest opportunity which goes beyond the colorful positioning of Make in India. This time he has a Prime Minister who believes in the right communication as much as he does in delivering the goods. Amitabh Kant's biggest success will be if under his watch India becomes as much as a talking point amongst international investors for setting up shop as it did with travellers lining up to visit India.