Vyapar Rajasthan: Giving Wheels to Viksit Rajasthan

Dear Members,

The current global geopolitical environment remains highly dynamic, with escalating regional conflicts, energy supply uncertainties, and evolving trade realignments influencing the broader economic landscape. Recent developments across key geographies have heightened volatility in crude oil prices, freight costs, and currency movements, thereby impacting global supply chains and business sentiment. For the auto retail sector, these conditions translate into potential pressures on input costs, logistics efficiency, and consumer affordability. While underlying domestic demand remains resilient, the industry must remain vigilant and adaptive to external shocks that may affect production cycles, inventory costs, and overall market stability.

Despite these external headwinds, it is encouraging to see continued momentum across our regions as we collectively work toward strengthening the automotive retail ecosystem and contributing to India’s broader vision of growth.

To begin with, I would like to congratulate the Chairperson, FADA Rajasthan, Mr Sharvik Shah, for successfully organising the 22nd edition of Vyapar in Jaipur. In fact, this marked the third mega FADA event hosted in the city, reflecting its growing significance as a hub for industry dialogue.

Vyapar Rajasthan – Giving Wheels to Viksit Rajasthan reflects FADA’s continued commitment to nation-building initiatives. Vyapar serves as a dynamic platform bringing together automobile dealers, OEMs, finance and insurance companies, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to exchange ideas, share best practices, and address critical challenges facing the industry.

The theme “Giving Wheels to Viksit Rajasthan” reflected the state’s progressive journey toward innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth. It underscored Rajasthan’s commitment to leveraging emerging opportunities in technology, infrastructure, and green mobility, while building on its strong industrial foundation. The event inspired collective action to drive transformative progress and position Rajasthan as a leader in the evolving mobility ecosystem.

The event brought together over 400 key stakeholders, including dealer principals, OEM representatives, policymakers, financial institutions, and senior government officials—underscoring the importance of collaborative dialogue in shaping a resilient and future-ready sector.

The event was graced by Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan, as Chief Guest, and Dr Prem Chand Bairwa, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, as Guest of Honour.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister, in his address, emphasized the government’s vision of building a transparent, efficient, and progressive mobility ecosystem that supports economic growth and job creation. He highlighted the critical role of automobile dealers as growth enablers and reiterated the government’s commitment to employment generation through focused skilling initiatives, infrastructure development, and a corruption-free, paperless governance framework.

The Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister reinforced these priorities by underlining the importance of the auto retail sector in strengthening Rajasthan’s economic backbone. He highlighted the need for continued collaboration between government and industry to enhance road safety, streamline regulatory processes, and improve ease of doing business for dealers across the state. He also emphasized that a well-supported and progressive dealer ecosystem is essential for ensuring last-mile connectivity of mobility solutions and sustaining growth in both urban and rural markets.

An important milestone during Vyapar Rajasthan was the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Government of Rajasthan, ASDC and FADA to advance automotive skilling and youth employability in the state. The cooperation framework envisions the development of Automotive Centres of Excellence, delivery of industry-relevant programmes through a blended training model, and stronger apprenticeship and placement pathways for youth. With an indicative target of skilling 10,000 youth annually through dealership-led on-the-job training, this initiative reflects FADA’s commitment to building talent, strengthening the retail ecosystem, and contributing meaningfully to the vision of a Viksit Rajasthan.

Chairperson, FADA Rajasthan, Mr Sharvik Shah, in his opening remarks, stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government, OEMs, and dealers to build a future-ready auto retail ecosystem. He highlighted regulatory preparedness, digital transformation, and skill development as key priorities for the industry. He also spoke about the importance of creating dedicated Auto Zones to improve infrastructure, streamline operations, and support organised automotive retail growth.

Discussions during the event focused on regulatory preparedness, ease of doing business, digital transformation, and emerging mobility trends. Sessions also covered the implementation of new labour codes, the use of artificial intelligence in dealership operations, and strategies to enhance workforce readiness. A dedicated session on road safety was also held. Additionally, the Women in FADA (WiF) session focused on Powering Possibilities and the role of women in auto retail, while a special GenX session explored Driving India’s Auto Retail Future.

I take this opportunity to thank all the speakers for their valuable insights, including Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan; Dr Prem Chand Bairwa, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan; Mr B S Detha, IAS, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Government of Rajasthan; Ms Rashi Dogra Dudi, IPS, Deputy Inspector General, CID (Crime Branch), Jaipur; Mr Purushottam Sharma, IAS, Transport Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan; Mr Rajendra Singh Shekhawat (RAS), RTO Jaipur-1; Mr Anil Kaushik, Founder & Chief Editor, Business Manager – HR Magazine; Mr Amarpreet Batra, COO, SK Finance Limited; Mr A V Narayanan, Joint General Manager & Head – Rajasthan, Sundaram Finance; Mr Kaiwal Shah, Driving GenAI-led Transformation, Jio Haptik (a Meta Partner); Mr Kartick V. Nagpal, President, Rosmerta Group; Mr Kunal Behl, Vice President – Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd; Mr Prasoon Gupta, Regional Director – GenX, FADA Rajasthan; Ms Rashmi Kale, Chairperson WiF; Mr Rishabh Sanghi, Chairman FADA GenX; Mr Sanjay Agarwal, Managing Director, AU Small Finance Bank Ltd; Mr Sai Giridhar, Vice President, FADA; and Mr Sourabh Agarwal, Regional Director, FADA Rajasthan.

I would also like to thank our partners for their support in making this a successful event: Platinum Partners – AU Small Finance Bank and Rosmerta Group; Silver Partner – Sundaram Finance; Bronze Partners – HDB Financial Services and Würth India Pvt Ltd; Road Safety Awareness Partner – SK Finance Ltd; and Associate Partners – Shimnit India Pvt Ltd, Meta Materials Circular Markets Pvt Ltd, Priyam Infosystems, and FTA HSRP Solutions Pvt Ltd.

I also extend my gratitude to the FADA Rajasthan Chapter members, senior dealer friends, Mr Sai Giridhar, Vice President FADA, and the FADA Secretariat led by Mr Saharsh Damani, CEO FADA, for working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure yet another successful and seamless event.

Women in FADA (WiF), under the leadership of Chairperson Ms Rashmi Kale, continues to make steady progress in encouraging and enabling more women entrepreneurs to enter the auto retail ecosystem. With a strong focus on grassroots engagement, WiF State Directors are actively connecting with members to strengthen participation and build a more inclusive fraternity.

In this context, WiF Director for Rajasthan, Mrs Krishna Rathi, organised a meaningful WiF meeting on the sidelines of Vyapar Rajasthan, which was also graced by WiF Chairperson Ms Rashmi Kale. The active participation and growing engagement once again underline the increasing strength, relevance, and inclusivity of WiF within our community.

During the month, WiF also organised a thought-provoking session on “Transform your leadership, decision-making, and business strategies with insights from the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita”, conducted by Shri Chintan Raja (Giridhari Govind Das – ISKCON). The session provided valuable perspectives on applying timeless Gita principles to modern leadership and business practices, focusing on clarity, purpose, balanced success, and transforming challenges into opportunities through deeper self-awareness and disciplined decision-making.

Advocating for the protection of authorised dealers’ interests and ensuring a fair marketplace, FADA has written to all two-wheeler manufacturers regarding the issue of illegal retail sales of two-wheelers through Multi-Brand Outlets (MBOs). This remains a top priority for FADA, and we will continue to actively engage with OEMs to address and resolve this concern.

On the capability-building front, FADA Academy under the chairmanship of Mr Manish Raj Singhania is conducting a specialised three-part Digital Marketing Masterclass for members. In an increasingly digital-first environment, such initiatives will empower dealerships to enhance customer engagement and drive growth.

We are also continuing our Dealership for Good campaign series, with a renewed focus on educating customers about the importance of choosing genuine accessories, spare parts, service, insurance, and finance from OEM-authorised dealerships—an initiative that reinforces trust, safety, and long-term value.

On the policy front, several state chapters have proactively engaged with government authorities.

FADA Goa, under Chairperson Mr Prashant Joshi, has taken a progressive step by representing the waiver of infrastructure tax on EVs to accelerate early adoption.

Similarly, FADA MP under Chairperson Mr Ashish Pande has shared its recommendations on the upcoming EV policy with state authorities, reinforcing our commitment to a balanced and growth-oriented transition to electric mobility.

FADA Delhi Chairperson Mr Shailender Luthra, along with Regional Directors and CEO FADA Mr Saharsh Damani, held a productive meeting with Ms Niharika Rai, Commissioner Secretary, Transport Department, Government of Delhi, and Mr Vishwendra, Special Commissioner, Transport Department. The discussion focused on key industry concerns and improving regulatory efficiency for automobile dealers.

In a separate engagement, Mr Luthra, Regional Director FADA Delhi Mr Manu Khanna, and CEO FADA Mr Damani also had a constructive meeting with Mr Sandeep Mishra, Secretary, DPCC. The dialogue addressed critical issues impacting dealers and explored collaborative approaches to create practical, business-friendly regulatory frameworks. These interactions underscore ongoing efforts to strengthen coordination between FADA Delhi and government departments, with an emphasis on ease of doing business and resolving sector-specific challenges.

I am also pleased to note that the Transport Department of Gujarat formally invited FADA Gujarat representatives to deliberate on challenges in the vehicle registration process. This reflects the growing recognition of FADA as a key stakeholder whose inputs are essential for systemic improvements.

As we move forward, I urge all members to stay engaged, adapt to evolving market dynamics, and actively participate in FADA’s initiatives. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient, and future-ready auto retail industry.

Thanking You,

CS Vigneshwar
President FADA