Atideb Sarkar calls for focus on development as world order shifts
February 27, 2026: The fifth edition of the Ideas of India Summit opened with a sweeping address by Atideb Sarkar, Chief Editor and Publisher of the ABP Group, who reflected on a year marked by war, trade tensions and geopolitical churn. Welcoming delegates to Ideas of India 2026, Sarkar spoke of conflicts across the subcontinent, Gaza and Ukraine, shifts in US trade policy, and wider instability in the Middle East and Latin America. Citing strategic thinkers such as Henry Kissinger, John Mearsheimer and Yan Xuetong, he underlined that peace is not automatic in global politics and argued that the world may be moving toward a new balance of power shaped by the United States and China.
Against this backdrop, Sarkar said India must remain firmly anchored to its national interest, defined by the Prime Minister as becoming a developed nation by 2047. He cautioned that global economic slowdown, uneven private investment and skill gaps among the young workforce pose real challenges. Development, not status, he argued, should be India’s priority, with policymakers focusing on boosting trade, attracting investment, safeguarding sovereignty and carefully screening capital flows in sensitive sectors. India, he said, must deal fairly and calmly with neighbours while engaging all major powers without confrontation.
Hosted by ABP Network, the two-day summit on February 27 and 28, 2026, centres on the theme ‘The New World Order’. Organisers say discussions will examine India’s roadmap to 2047, including economic self-reliance, sustained growth, innovation, cultural transformation and the country’s expanding global footprint. Leaders, policymakers, industry voices and cultural figures are set to debate how India can navigate global turbulence while delivering material progress at home.