Published Jan 27, 2026 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 27, 2026 | 9:00 AM
As debates around India’s economic trajectory turn increasingly to employment, social security and equitable growth, the southern states continue to occupy a distinctive place in the national conversation.
The fourth edition of Dakshin Dialogues, South First’s annual thought conclave, aims to move beyond simple narratives and engage directly with some of the biggest economic issues facing the country, including the gig economy, labour rights, welfare delivery, and the future of employment schemes after MGNREGA.
The event will be held in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at The Lalit Ashok. The emphasis is on informed dialogue: identifying what has worked, what has not, and what lies ahead for India’s growth engine.
Titled “State, Economy, and the Working Class”, the conclave brings together ministers, policymakers, economists, activists, administrators and industry voices to examine the achievements, challenges and concerns of the southern states, with a particular focus on policies affecting the working class.
The conclave seeks to foreground a southern perspective while contributing to a wider national discourse.
The conclave will feature speakers from government, policy institutions and civil society.
Senior political leaders participating include MB Patil, Minister for Industries, Government of Karnataka; Priyank Kharge, Minister for RDPR, IT & BT, Government of Karnataka; Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Revenue, Government of Karnataka; Shridhar Babu D, Minister for IT, Government of Telangana; and Santosh Lad, Minister for Labour, Government of Karnataka.
They will be joined by Arvind Bellad, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, along with senior administrators and policy experts including KM Chandrasekhar, former Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India; Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka; and Jothi Sivagnanam, Member of the Planning Commission, Tamil Nadu.
Civil society and labour perspectives will come from Aruna Roy, rights crusader and founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan; Nikhil Dey, activist and founder-member of MKSS; Shaik Salauddin, President of the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union; and Dr H V Vasu, Convenor of Jagrutha Karnataka.
Economic and policy analysis will come from Rathin Roy, economist and former member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, and Nitin Pai, founder of the Takshashila Institution. Industry and urban development perspectives will come from L K Atheeq, Chairman of the Bengaluru Business Corridor.
The conclave will begin at 10.20 am with an inaugural address.
At 10.45 am, Shridhar Babu D, Minister for IT, Government of Telangana, will be in conversation with economist Rathin Roy on “The growth story of Telangana”. The session will examine the state’s development trajectory and policy choices.
This will be followed at 11.20 am by a panel discussion titled “South: The growth engine of India and its challenges”. The session will bring together Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, KM Chandrasekhar and Jothi Sivagnanam, and will be moderated by Kanchan Kaur, Professor of Practice at MAHE.
At 12.20 pm, Krishna Byre Gowda, Minister for Revenue, Government of Karnataka, will deliver a keynote address. The programme will then break for lunch from 12.45 pm to 1.30 pm.
The post-lunch session at 1.30 pm will feature Priyank Kharge, Minister for RDPR, IT & BT, Government of Karnataka, in conversation with Rathin Roy on “Taking South forward: Fuelling India’s growth engine”.
At 2.15 pm, the focus will shift to labour and platform work with a panel titled “Gig economy: Where do the issues lie?”. The discussion will include Santosh Lad, Shaik Salauddin, Nikhil Dey and Nitin Pai, and will be moderated by Anusha Ravi Sood, Editor, The South First.
After a tea break from 3.10 pm to 3.30 pm, the conclave will resume with a session titled “End of MGNREGA: What it means for stakeholders”. The panel will feature L K Atheeq, Aruna Roy and Dr H V Vasu, moderated by Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla.
The final discussion of the day, “South: Highs, lows and the in-between”, will take place at 4.15 pm, with Arvind Bellad and Rathin Roy in conversation, moderated by Anusha Ravi Sood. The conclave will conclude with a vote of thanks at 4.45 pm.
(Attendees may RSVP here or at 8341082463.)
