The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is working on a comprehensive white paper which is aimed at positioning Tamil Nadu as leader in socio-economic development. It also wants to help the State achieve its target of $1 trillion economy by 2030. To execute this plan, CII has initiated a project called – ‘Policy Action Dialogues’.
“This will happen in three stages. In the first stage, we will send out questionnaires to around 400 participants from 15 different sectors. Based on the feedback, CII will then have a round table with industry experts. And in stage three, the white paper will be rolled out with suggestions and areas of growth,” Shankar Vanavarayar, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council and Executive Director of ABT Industries Ltd., told The Hindu.
The questionnaire will look at 12 parameters which are business and growth aligned. Some of the parameters that would be looked at is ease of doing business, construction permits and land registration, taxation and statutory compliances, access to credit, diversity and inclusion among others. “The idea is to get feedback about the realities which are happening sector-wise and geographical-wise. We will also rope in other associations for this,” Mr. Vanavarayar said.
He also mentioned that CII would work with Guidance (the nodal agency instrumental in bringing investments into Tamil Nadu) on this project. “The white paper will be submitted to the Tamil Nadu government ahead of the Global Investors Meet (GIM),” he noted.
The sectors that CII is looking at include Aerospace and Defence, Agriculture and Food Processing, Auto and Auto Components and Electric Vehicles (EVs), Chemicals, Healthcare and MedTech, IT/ITES and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Logistics, Leather and Footwear and Textiles. “Apart from this we are also looking at Electronics System Design and Manufacturing, Global Capability Centres (GCC) and Research and Development (R&D). Creative and knowledge industry is another focus area,” Mr. Vanavarayar said. According to details shared by CII, the creative and knowledge industry in Tamil Nadu is worth an estimated ₹200 billion ($2.6 billion).
Mr.Vanavarayar mentioned that CII also intends to look at the Education and Tourism sector. “Tourism is an important sector and a big strength for Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Through this in depth analysis, CII aims to collect industry specific data and insights from stakeholders, identify potential growth areas pertaining to specific industry sectors for accelerated growth towards sustainable economy, foster collaborations and partnerships, influence policy changes and enhance competitiveness and improve the overall health of the industry.
