Deregulation will be the central theme of India’s Economic Survey 2024-25, aimed at boosting job creation and increasing female workforce participation, chief economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran said on Thursday.

The survey, scheduledfor release on January 31,a day ahead of the Union budget, will also delve into issues such as human capital, infrastructure and the MSME sector.

“We touched on deregulation extensively in the July survey, and it remains thebig theme for the upcoming survey,” Nageswaran said at the Assocham Bharat@100 summit.

The CEA urged private sector involvement in fostering balanced growth.

“While profitability has surged fourfold in the past four years, employee compensation has weakened.

This imbalance risks undermining demand in the economy,” he warned, calling it “self-destructive” for corporations.

Addressing India’s ambitions to become a manufacturing hub, Nageswaran pointed out the necessity of integrating China into supply chains rather than sidelining it.

“Nations that increased exports to the US also boosted imports from China. This is a lesson for India as we seek to expand our manufacturing footprint,” he noted.