The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will soon launch ‘Lighthouse’, an initiative aimed at nurturing future business leaders in south India, as a pilot project in Andhra Pradesh. It will be a learning platform on business strategies guided by corporate leaders, said CII southern region chairman and CavinKare Private Limited CMD C.K. Ranganathan.
Announcing this in a press conference organised in virtual mode on Friday, Mr. Ranganathan said the industrial sector was bouncing back, albeit at a steady pace after suffering a devastating blow by the coronavirus pandemic. “However, a proper strategy is required to generate demand of the pre-pandemic levels and sustain it by availing the various support measures taken by the Central and the State governments,” he said.
This was the time to bring in new perspectives on doing business as there had been a paradigm shift in the way companies were catering to their customers ever since the COVID-19 came as a major disruption the kind of which was unseen in the last few centuries. “The Lighthouse will enable the upcoming businessmen and women to draw from the experiences of captains of the industry who have successfully overcome the crisis and brought new ideas to the table,” said Mr. Ranganathan.
As far as the industrial scenario is concerned, Mr. Ranganathan said the CII was working closely with the governments and industries to accelerate growth and it was focusing on the theme ‘building south India for a new world competitiveness, growth and technology’.
Structural reforms
He insisted that opportunities were opening up as the impact of COVID-19 had reduced considerably and the third wave was not expected to be as deadly as the first and second outbreaks. The CII, he stated, was actively engaged with States on structural reforms in areas such as labour, infrastructure and agriculture, which were crucial to achieving a turnaround.
CII-AP Chairman and Vijaynagar Biotech Private Limited executive chairman Datla Tirupati Raju appreciated the State government for releasing the pending incentives to the industries. The recent disbursement of ₹684 crore to textile and spinning mills would improve their cash flows, he said.
Neeraj Sarda, CII-AP Vice-Chairman and deputy MD of Sarda Metals & Alloys Limited, said labour reforms would drive growth and be beneficial to all stakeholders.
Privatisation gives the much-needed impetus to the manufacturing sector, he observed, while maintaining that the Central government’s stake sale in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) was a right move, saying it made sense to privatise all PSUs that were not crucial for national security.
