New York [USA], April 5 (ANI): Former Telangana IT and Industries Minister and BRS leader KT Rama Rao on Sunday highlighted India's growing global relevance as a hub for talent, innovation, and enterprise, stating that the country is no longer merely a 'cost story' but a 'capability story,' while addressing students and faculty at Columbia Business School in New York.

Speaking at the event, KTR highlighted India's strengths in terms of human capital, market scale and policy support, positioning the country as an attractive destination for global business and investment.

'India offers unbridled talent. We offer market scale, and we also offer policy which is extremely important, aligned with the digital infrastructure needs of current day enterprise,' he said.

Emphasising India's demographic advantage, KTR noted that the country produces nearly 1.5 million engineers annually, making it one of the largest talent pools in the world. He further pointed out that India's youthful population gives it a unique edge in driving long-term economic growth.

'We produce almost 1.5 million engineers every single year. That's probably larger than any other country in the world. And most importantly, out of these engineers, if you look at the median age, India's median age is only 27.50% of the Indian population is less than the age of 27. But what is even more exciting, 65% of the Indian population today is less than the age of 35,' he said.

Highlighting the role of digital infrastructure, KTR said that technological advancements in India have significantly reduced operational friction across sectors and improved efficiency.

'The digital infrastructure that has been set in place also creates enough opportunities by reducing friction across the various sectors in economy. Access has become faster, transactions have become smoother, and scale has become easier to manage,' the BRS leader added.

Reiterating his central argument, KTR said that India's evolution goes beyond cost competitiveness and reflects its growing capabilities.

'Now India is not just a low-cost, high-value human capital that is at the offering. It's a capability story. In fact, it's a story of young India,' KTR said.

Meanwhile, taking to the social media platform X, KTR also spoke about Telangana's development trajectory, crediting K Chandrashekar Rao's leadership for transforming the state into a model of growth within a decade.

He described his participation at the Columbia India Business Conference 2026 as enriching and said the discussions on business, innovation, and policy were 'truly inspiring.'

https://x.com/KTRBRS/status/2040620992805106011

'Spoke at the 21st India Business Conference at @Columbia_Biz, NYC. Shared my experiences about the remarkable growth story of Telangana. Telangana was born out of struggle and sacrifice. And under the able leadership of our leader, KCR garu, it became a trendsetter state for the rest of the nation within a decade. The depth of dialogue around business, innovation, and policy future at the Columbia India Business Conference 2026 was truly inspiring. Grateful to the organisers and every attendee who made it a remarkable forum,' he wrote. (ANI)