CII Southern Region to focus on MSMEs
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has devised a plan to work with the State Governments on specific areas such as industrial corridors, development of tier-II cities, and to focus on key policy enablers to support development of MSMEs in the Southern States. At an event in Chennai, the newlyelected Chairman of CII Southern Region (SR), R Dinesh said, “The concentration will be on tier-II cities and on working towards nation-building. We would work closely with the government and all other relevant stakeholders on a mission mode to create a robust and conducive industrial ecosystem in South India.”
Outlining its priorities for 2018-19, Dinesh said that, South India with its industrial ecosystem aided by business-friendly policies, always had an upper hand, when it comes to the contribution to the national GDP. “We have taken up the theme of ‘Vibrant South – Competitive, Inclusive & Responsible’ for the year. CII will focus on key enablers such as job creation, skill development and training. It is not about the large companies, but for the micro, small and medium enterprises. Our core focus is on them. CII will work on key enablers such as manufacturing with special focus on MSMEs, promotion of start-ups and entrepreneurs, education and skills with thrust on rural job creation, fast-tracking of infrastructure projects, international business linkages for the Indian industry besides creating a conducive environment for thriving industrial relations,” Dinesh said. The Chairman also outlined several new initiatives for the current year, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) programme for MSMEs, creation of geographical indicators (GI) for specific products, city connect initiatives, sustainable transportation and urban mobility solutions, port-led economic development in Southern States, digital readiness survey of CII Members in Southern Region through Manufacturing and Digital Excellence (MADE) etc.
On the manufacturing of defence components by MSMEs, Sathish Raman, Senior Director and Regional Head, CII said, “We are working in Trichy. Basically, we are working to create an indigenisation process which the government is working towards. Whether it is Defence, Airforce or Naval requirements, the idea of the Central government is to reduce dependence on the foreign players when it comes to our own equipment. In terms of MSMEs, it is not just in the tier-I city, but also in tier-II and-III also. We want to take the opportunity to their door step and say how they can play a role. Large companies have their own means to do. SMEs are what we are trying to push. We are also working along with the government and associating with the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers.”
About the aerospace segment, Dinesh said that, CII is only facilitating and acting as a medium between the government and the industry. “What I think is that there is enough technological capability available, especially in Tamil Nadu and even across all Southern States. There, one bigticket investment is needed. If that come, the sector will improve a lot. When it happens, we will be there to support. We also believe that, it is a big opportunity.”