Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday participated in a high-level Business Roundtable with investors, organised by the Consulate General of India in New York in association with Bank of America.Addressing the investors, Sitharaman said that, despite global disruptions and against all odds, India continues to be the fastest-growing major economy in the world, recording a remarkable growth of 7.8 per cent in Q1 of FY 2026-27.She said that India’s strong reform orientation, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also provided greater regulatory certainty through a range of reforms, including the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.Such reforms have contributed to ensuring ease of compliance and reducing paperwork, which has remained a prime focus of the Government of India since it assumed office over a decade ago, she stated.The Finance Minister added that key areas of government focus include the creation of capital assets and providing sustained support to industry through infrastructure development, particularly in aviation; fostering a friendly and conducive investment climate; promoting the development of AI and data centres; supporting Global Capability Centres; ensuring credit availability to MSMEs; and reducing Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) of banks.These measures, she said, have helped create a more enabling business environment for banks and industry to thrive, grow and emerge stronger.She further said that India has consistently remained committed to the path of fiscal prudence and fiscal discipline over the past several years, despite the continuing challenges confronting the global economy since the onset of COVID-19.The Finance Minister said the investment climate in India has improved significantly, with both the central and state governments demonstrating greater keenness and competitiveness in attracting and facilitating investments in their respective regions.She added that these efforts are part of the larger national endeavour towards achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.