India to Push Reforms Amid West Asia Crisis

PM Modi is set to lead a Council of Ministers meeting on May 21 to accelerate reforms aimed at reducing compliance burdens and simplifying rules for ease of doing business and living. This push comes amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, which has impacted various sectors. Secretaries from nearly a dozen departments will present on the simplification and deregulation efforts. The last such meeting was in June 2025, where PM Modi emphasized the government was on a "reforms express." Despite the crisis overtaking the agenda, experts urge pursuing reforms, likening the opportunity to how Covid-19 prompted necessary changes. The presentations will highlight two years of reforms and discuss the future path, including issues flagged by high-level Niti Aayog committees led by Rajiv Gauba. Each ministry had submitted details of major reforms undertaken since June 2024, outlining their benefits.

The focus will also be on people-centric reforms in various laws, policies, and regulations. Simplification and deregulation are the overriding themes. Experts believe the government should leverage the crisis to push through reforms, similar to the strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The meeting’s objective is to make the Council of Ministers aware of the progress and plan the next steps. With the West Asia conflict’s adverse impacts, key ministries were in firefighting mode, but the government is now refocusing on its reform agenda.