The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will set up a Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing Institute (VLFM) to train middle managers in leadership functions with an aim to develop a competitive manufacturing industry in Tamil Nadu.
Addressing a press conference, S. Gopalakrishnan, chairman, CII-Southern Region, said the VLFM, proposed in Chennai, would seek to develop leadership capabilities in the managerial layers of premier institutions, manufacturing industry and academia.
The VLFM is a key element in the CII's roadmap for the southern region for the fiscal 2010-11 on the theme “Economic Wellbeing for All: An Agenda for Business” with focus on education, employability, innovation and entrepreneurship. The CII's national theme for the fiscal is “Business for Livelihood.”
The CII, which held wide-ranging discussions with Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, expressed its keenness to work closely with the Government to strengthen the manufacturing sector and assist the State Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said.
The CII would moot State-level manufacturing policies in southern States to provide impetus to the manufacturing sector. The policy should simplify clearances and approval mechanisms, encourage green manufacturing, fast-track infrastructure besides provide for flexible labour rules. Other initiatives that the CII would endorse include the proposal for a Chennai-Bangalore industrial corridor and an LNG terminal in Chennai.
Noting that the southern region had been in the forefront of India's growth story with real GDP increasing to 9.2 per cent per annum during 2005-09 —much ahead of the national real GDP growth of 8.5 per cent during the same period, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said. The thrust areas for the growth of southern region would be agriculture, manufacturing, service and infrastructure.
Some of the key issues CII would take up with Government on the infrastructure front include policy framework for speedy implementation of infrastructure projects; need for technology upgradation for faster project completion and setting up of an effective dispute mechanism and provision for contingency funding.
In the area of power, CII would work with State governments on reforms in the power sector with more focus on private sector participation especially on generation and distribution side.
On agriculture, Mr. Gopalakrishnan said the CII action plan envisaged raising agricultural growth to a sustainable 4 per cent through better quality in the areas of technology and inputs, research and extension, supply chain management, integrated cold chain logistics and appropriate market linkages.
CII-SR Chairperson Nandini Rangaswamy said there was a proposal to set up an Export Competitiveness Committee under the Industries Department. The CII, which is advocating the PPP model in healthcare, has also planned a lifestyle expo and a study report on the health scenario in Tamil Nadu, she said.
CII is also piloting e-Modules – technology enabled modules in Vocational Education with the support and validation from Industry for large scale deployment of skill development.
T.T. Ashok, Deputy Chairman, CII-SR, Sujith Haridas, Regional Director, CII-SR and Madhu Vasanthy, Director and Head (TN) of CII, were present.
