The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will soon be launching Lighthouse, its project to nurture current and future business leaders in south India, as a pilot programme in Telangana.
It will be a learning platform on business strategies as part of which eminent corporate leaders and mentors will focus on helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) gain insights on various aspects. Lighthouse will provide an opportunity to deliberate and discuss on the future of business, CII-SR chairman C.K.Ranganathan said during a virtual media interaction on Wednesday.
A 10-member group is initially expected to be launched as part of the Lighthouse pilot in the State, he said, pointing to the need for industry to brace up to the challenges to be posed amid rapid technological developments. Eventually, there will be several Lighthouse groups connecting with the MSMEs and across industries.
“MSMEs will go through a structured, handholding, practical MBA through the programme,” he said, making a presentation on the CII’s plans for Telangana. Chairman of CII Telangana Sameer Goel also addressed the media.
On the other engagement of CII with Telangana government, Mr. Ranganathan said the industry body and the State government were working closely to empower IPR ecosystem. CII is also working on the registration of GI (Geographical Indication) for horticulture products of Telangana and also a State IP policy.
Hailing the policy measures of Telangana government, aimed at industrial development and attracting more investments, he said innovation ecosystem in the State is one of the best in the country. A release on the interaction said CII strongly advocates for Rural-Urban balance — through a continued engagement with select districts to promote industrial growth and job creation in tier II towns like Warangal and Nizamabad. CII is working with State government and industry on a four-pronged strategy towards boosting demand, facilitating private and public investment, job creation and increasing demand for exports.
CII has launched a Centre of Excellence for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Start-ups at T-Hub here, to serve as a robust platform for building a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem. There is a need for formation of a consortium involving the government and industry to cater to the needs and requirements of the defence and aerospace sectors in Telangana.
Fuel prices
Mr. C.K. Ranganathan on Wednesday said rising petrol and diesel prices were a concern and the Centre and State governments should rationalise tax on the fuels to reduce the burden on the common man.
“The fuel prices are definitely impacting,” he said, pointing out the continuous increase is a matter of concern. Seeking to highlight the cascading effect, he said freight costs calculations have gone awry and there is bound to be stress on the economy and GDP growth.
The States and Centre should rationalise taxation on the fuels thus reducing the common man’s burden. “This would be an important ask from CII... that would go a long way,” he said, adding some State government’s have acted on the request.
