Financial Inclusion is integral to the inclusive growth process and sustainable development of the country. The CII Summit defined the contours of an eco-system to reach the unbanked

 

National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG) has been established by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in partnership with CII, ICSI, ICAI, ICWAI and NSE to function as the National Apex platform for promotion of good Corporate Governance (CG) practices in India.

 

The United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) announce the Fulbright- Nehru - CII Fellowships for Leadership in Management, for the academic year 2011-2012. Indian business managers, whose employers would be willing to bear 50% (USD 17,750) of the total cost (USD $35,500), may compete to attend specially-designed management program to be conducted for 10 weeks at the Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business (TSB), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, from May 27 to August 8, 2011.

 

CII has been conducting a bi-annual Business Outlook Survey (BOS) among its members in order to get a consistent view of the prevailing business sentiment in the country. The survey results are quoted by RBI and referred by economy watchers and CII’s own membership.

 

Despite the uncertainties raised by the global economic crisis, Indian industry has remained bullish on its prospects for growth. This is evident in the investment scenario currently unfolding in the country. While the capex boom gained pace from 2004-05, the high growth of the next several years saw Indian companies pile up cash resources and plan capacity additions. The global downturn arrested investment, and shelved planned projects. However, with decisive recovery in domestic demand and revival of exports, Indian companies appear to have once again embarked on building capacity.

 

For greater understanding and appreciation of competition regime in the country, please click on the link above to access the advocacy booklets of the Competition Commission of India

 

Food price inflation is one of the most talked about issues in the country today. The brunt of the same is being felt across India and across all sections of society. India’s food inflation accelerated to nearly 17 percent in mid May 2010 though there has been a decline to about 12-13 per cent in the last few weeks. It is interesting to note that the farmer or the grower has not benefited from this rise in food prices as there exist huge imperfections in the market. Demand-supply mismatches and inefficient supply mechanisms result in large price spreads between the growers and final consumers.

 

The resilience of the Indian economy and the capacity of the Government to identify quick solutions and implement them will serve as the building blocks for achieving double digit GDP growth in the coming years, declared Mr K M Chandrasekhar, Cabinet Secretary, Government of India. Addressing a session on ‘10% GDP Growth by 2014: Imperatives and Impediments’ organised by CII in New Delhi on 20 July, the Cabinet Secretary said the Government has overcome critical stumbling blocks in recent years to reach a level where GDP growth for the current year is estimated at 8.5%. These included the high inflation caused by exogenous factors, and the global economic meltdown, he added.

 

With global crude prices hardening, the government recently raised the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, and kerosene. More importantly, it decided to make the petrol prices market-determined, with no governmental price controls either at the refinery gate or at the retail level. Before the hike, the government was paying a subsidy of around Rs 18/litre on kerosene, Rs 4.70/litre for petrol, Rs 2.30/litre for diesel and Rs 290 for a LPG cylinder.

 

The G-20, now the premier forum for international economic cooperation, met in Toronto to discuss the next steps for return to growth and to reform financial systems. The group accounts for 85% of world GDP. The meeting was held in the aftermath of the European debt crisis, in which fears about the sustainability of a number of countries’ debt levels has forced them to trim their deficits. At the same time, it is being feared that the global economy will return to slower growth once the fiscal stimuli are withdrawn.

 

The decision by the Chinese authorities to make the yuan’s exchange rate more flexible has been cautiously welcomed by exporters in India. There has been some expectation that the revaluation of the Chinese currency might lead to some gains for Indian exporters, especially in sectors like textiles, footwear, and machinery. Exporters from emerging market economies like India and Brazil have always felt that the yuan was undervalued and provided an unfair edge to Chinese exports vis-à-vis other emerging country competitors. However it would be unrealistic to expect that the appreciation of the yuan would lead to significant amounts of business shifting from Chinese exporters to their Indian counterparts.

 

India survived the recent global financial crisis better than most large economies. GDP growth is expected to be in the range of 7-8 percent per annum for the next couple of years. Development of infrastructure to support the growth is important and a significant portion of the capital required to fund this growth could come from PE. Hence, PE is being increasingly recognised as an important asset class in India. Besides, 2010 is witnessing a resurgence of PE funding, following decreased deal activity in 2008 and 2009. Thus, it becomes important to assess a key question that is often asked, which is: “can PE firms provide value addition to their portfolio companies in India given that the PE India model is unique and that PE firms are largely minority investors?” We short-listed a few companies that had received PE funding and interviewed both the PE firms and the company management to get their inputs on the value addition provided by the PE firms and the manner in which PE has impacted their business, besides merely providing capital. Our findings clearly indicate that behind the scenes there have been a broad range of areas that PE firms influence their portfolio companies and bring resultant benefits to the company.

 

• CII Orissa acts an interface between the state government and industries. It is plays an active role in state government investment promotion and sustenance activities • CII Orissa State Council had helped the government to modify the Comprehensive Development Plan of the Khurda, Jatni & Cuttack prepared by IIT Kharagpur • Tourism, R&R, MSME Policy was modified by CII Orissa State Council. • Labour Reform mechanism were recommended to labour commissioner of the State • CII Orissa had organized a Review meeting with Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner & Agriculture Production Commissioner- cum Chairman Pollution Control Board on issues of industries of Orissa • An Advisory meeting with Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik on what action state government needs to take to sustain MOU industries in Orissa • CII orissa is in dialogue with NGO, State Government and industries to prepare a model R&R practice for the state • District Development Plan of Khurda, Balasore, Jajpur and Jharsuguda is being prepared • A skill gap report had been prepared in partnership with PWC • A work skill centre is being established at Balasore • The Syllabus of Diploma engineers was modified by CII Orissa Capacity Building Panel

 

CII Jharkhand Council has been making concerted efforts in the direction of bringing growth and development in the State right from its inception in the year 2000. The Council facilitated Department of Industries, Govt. of Jharkhand in coming up with an Industrial Policy of Jharkhand in the year 2001. The Council also partnered Govt. in successfully organizing Udyog Mela 2007 in Ranchi & facilitating Jharkhand pavilion in IITF 2008(India international Trade Fair) at New Delhi. In order to enhance the competitiveness of industry members, CII Jharkhand Council continues to organise number of training programmes, major Conferences, seminars, workshops on Manufacturing, Agro & Food Processing, Environment, Mining & Coal, Social Development & Community Affairs, Behavioral Skills & Information Technology, as well as interactions with key Govt. Officials at Ranchi ,Jamshedpur and also at Bokaro. The Council recently called on the Hon’ble Chief Minister & Deputy Chief Minister of Jharkhand and presented them with CII Vision document : Jharkhand @ 2022, a Sustainable Vision document encompassing hope & aspiration of the people of Jharkhand. The insight of the document is aimed at enabling the key decision makers to plan and implement findings at the grass root level, leading to sustained growth and development of the State.

 

CII - West Bengal State Council has been regularly working towards creating a right platform for interaction, meetings while taking up contentious issues with the relevant authorities. The Council’s resolute to strengthen the very fundamentals of economy and build a resonating state remains unabated. West Bengal State Council is also focusing on a) District Development b) Abating Climate Change and c) Disaster Management - the three key areas which require a lot of attention. In addition to the above, the Council has been regularly organizing programs covering different issues & subjects for the benefit of our members. West Bengal @ 2022 is one of the other major initiatives wherein the Council has tried to identify the potential areas of growth and benchmark them for continuous development.