CII 10-pt agenda to revive manufacturing industry

New Delhi, May 4: With a proposed investment of Rs 1,88,056 crore in the manufacturing sector, industry body CII has embarked on a ten-point strategic agenda to facilitate the manufacturing sector in achieving and sustaining 25 per cent share of the GDP by the year 2020. The approach is aimed at taking the manufacturing sector up from its current range of 15-17 per cent of the GDP to 25 per cent over the next 12 years.

Traditionally, manufacturing has enjoyed a 'cost advantage' due to labour arbitrage, but that advantage does not exist any more and CII plans to meet this challenge through this new multi-faceted approach. A key element is working towards the announcement of a National Manufacturing Policy, CII said today.

So far, there is no clear definition of manufacturing in the Policy framework of the industry. But with imports becoming a large component in sectors such as capital goods, and overtures to India to open up to re-manufactured products, defining manufacturing and giving a road map to strengthen the sector is now imperative, the industry body said.

A key bottleneck to meet the infrastructure requirements is energy. ''CII would be working towards opening up of strategic sectors such as Coal. We welcome the Coal Report which has been accepted by the Ministry of Coal and the Cabinet. It would put into place an Apex Task Force on Coal to facilitate the implementation of this report.'' Dr Jamshed J Irani, Chairman, Council on Affirmative Action, CII&Director, Tata Sons who was also a member of this report would lead this initiative.

India has become a large importer of capital goods and it is essential to build and retain competitiveness in manufacturing of strategic equipment as imports could lead to jeopardizing national security. CII's new initiative focuses on this area and also on new opportunities in other sectors such as space, aerospace and advanced engineering and manufacturing.

A new Mining Policy is on the horizon and implementing this policy would be essential. CII has proposed that the Steel and Mining industry work together to roll out guidelines. CII's National committee on Chemicals would focus on opening opportunities and encouraging Indian industry to evaluate the options of entering new areas such as water purification, nanotechnology and bio-fuels.

CII's National Committee on Textiles, Gems and Jewellery and Leather is looking at new avenues such as Technical Textiles.

The gems and jewellery sector is looking at accessing new sources for roughs and new markets while bringing quality to the domestic consumers through Hallmarking of Jewellery.

For the leather sector, opportunities with Africa and accessing new technologies for treating sheep skins would be explored.

A Global Mining Summit and three outbound international missions would work towards getting together the major players in the mining sector which is now opening up, and CII expects to see big players coming to the place.

Another initiative of the Manufacturing Innovation Mission of the CII, which is now into its third year is setting up a new Association on Robotics and Automation would be kicked off to help industry become more competitive in these areas as well as realise the potential projected in India.

CII would also set up an Apex Task Force on Corrosion to bring attention to one of the biggest wastes in the manufacturing sector to the front.

UNI