CII organizes virtual conference with speakers from across the globe

NEW DELHI: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized the North India Virtual Conference on Reviving Growth in Challenging Time with the theme ?Strategizing Businesses and Innovative Policy Reforms? today over a virtual platform.nnThe objective of the conference was to deliberate on the impact of Covid-19 and the emerging challenges and opportunities for the Indian Industry.nn

#Uttarakhand being a tourism&pilgrimage destination hs bn greatly affected by the lockdown. But I am confident tht under the leadership of PM, situation in the state will improve again.~ Hon. CM @tsrawatbjp addressed CII North IND Virtual Conf. on Reviving Growth in Challenging pic.twitter.com/iNNwzaETYb

— Confederation of Indian Industry (@FollowCII) April 28, 2020

nnTrivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand joined as the Chief Guest, while Satish Mahana, Minister of Industrial Development Government of Uttar Pradesh, joined as the Guest of Honour.nn?We are following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ”Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi” as the state government is gradually working on improving the economic situation while adhering to coronavirus guidelines. Pharma, food processing units are working, many industries have started under the guidelines. Amid the lockdown, the Uttarakhand government has given relief to nine hilly districts of the state. These are the districts where there is no corona positive patient,” said Rawat.nnThe state has also started the mechanism of granting online permissions for starting the industry and after 20 April till now 1171 units have been given online permissions to start their operations. There have been some issues with regard to labour as many of them have gone back to their villages. There is a need to probably skill the labour that are housed in camps and engage them in industrial activities.nnSince the lockdown began, companies such as ITC, Uniliver, Britannia and Nestle in food processing have commenced with their operations besides in automotive sector hero moto corp, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and tata Motors and their vendors will soon be starting operations.nn”We hope that industrial zones of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar will soon be in Green Zone and industrial activity in the state will pick a pace. A special committee has been formed under the chairman ship of former chief secretary besides a sub-committee at ministerial level has also been formed which will give report in a week’s time on how to revive industry and economic activity in the state post covid. All construction activities related to NHAI, MNREGA have already began while private construction will soon be allowed to begin work again,” he said.nnAs RBI has issued financial package for the industry through Banks, today evening there would be discussions between the Banks, industry representatives and government to discuss the coordination and issues on the same.nnThe state has also started a single window system to address the issues faced by industry in a time bound manner. The Government has extended the last date for deposit of lease rent from 20-04-20 to 30-06-20.nnThe labour engaged in private construction sector has been given rupees 2000 per worker since the onset of this crisis. Power Rates for industry has been slashed by 4%.nnThe state had organised invest Uttrakhand summit where MOU’s were 23 thousand crore are expected to be grounded and we would be seeking CII’s support as in the past to take forward these proposals post Covid 19.nn?Our hon?ble Prime Minister has taken proactive measures due to which we are ahead in containment of Covid 19 and not in a panic situation,” said Mahana.nnThe Prime Minister & Chief Minister are concerned of the prevailing situation and strongly feel that economic revival is absolutely necessary. Because of the Rising number of cases in Industrial Towns such as Noida, Moradabad & Kanpur, the state is unable to fully open the Industry at these places.nnThe state is fully complying with the guidelines issued by the centre and we understand some of the issues faced by the Industry and reviving economic activity is of paramount importance however the state has adopted a more cautious approach. The states had discussions with PM, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and the FM and the economic package especially for MSME’s is expected soon.nnMutual Confidence & Trust is a must between Government & Industry in this hour of crisis, understand the Industry in Noida is facing difficulty with regard to obtaining passes for operating. 19 districts in the state which are severally impacted, the permission for passes is restricted, however in other districts & rural areas which have not been impacted, permissions are being given to Industry to operate.nnAs the current lockdown is expected to end by 4th May, the new guidelines from MHA are expected to further ease the situation. The state is also ready to grab the opportunities expected to come post the Covid crisis. Requested Industry to give suggestions on how Industry should be allowed to function post 3rd May.nnSunil Kant Munjal, Past President, CII, said, the pandemic has created a unique challenge, which is complex and unpredictable. It is not expected that we have ready measures to fight but we are ready to work with the Government to find solutions, both short term and long term.?nnHe added, ?Economic activity will resume post the lockdown period but will take time to reach normal capacity levels, as restrictions on people and goods will continue in the identified hot-spot regions even beyond the lockdown phase. CII has compiled the challenges faced by the trade and industry and has taken this with the various Ministries and departments of GoI. These include sector-specific advocacy taken up with concerned Ministries, Ease of Doing Business related to various notifications issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, drafting Exit Strategy for Industry along with SoPs for each industry.?nnNikhil Sawhney, Chairman, CII Northern Region, said, at the present moment, the balance has to be struck between imperatives of preserving the importance of health, economy and society. Naturally, the overriding consideration has to be that of health of the population, which should be followed by the economic requirements, such that the impact on social conditions is not of negative nature. CII has always tried to complement the government in its nation-building exercise. We believe that it is imperative to identify certain parameters and work on those in a time-bound manner to take India to a higher and sustainable growth trajectory again after this crisis, he added.nnAbhimanyu Munjal, Deputy Chairman, CII Northern Region, said, there is a little doubt that the coronavirus pandemic is the most challenging crisis the world faces since the Second World War. The outbreak has presented fresh challenges for the Indian economy now, causing severe disruptive impact on both demand and supply side elements. The Indian government, however, has responded well. The 1.7 lakh crore corona package, as also the RBI intervention, are welcome steps. However, the situation demands more such stimulus. The COVID-19 crisis has shown that India can take up the role of global economic leader as it is taking care of its citizens while also helping its friends and people across the globe, he said.nnThe conference was also joined by speakers from across the globe. While addressing a session on Disruption in Manufacturing Sector: Rising to the Challenges of COVID-19 on Ms Margot James, Executive Chair, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), said, ?As we recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is vital that businesses can act to preserve jobs, advance skills, invest in innovation and seize opportunities for future growth. I am delighted that WMG is able to support CII’s outstanding work to support manufacturing across India, alongside leaders of Indian Industry.?nnWe must focus on innovation, business model, working style, new technology, business automation etc. This pandemic has caused economic slowdown and influenced the businesses, but we need to know that every crisis contains opportunities. And we are lucky to see that the Government of India has done a lot to solve this problem. I am sure everything will be on track in the near future, said Jayden Yang, Chief Executive Officer, Shanghai Shemar Power Engineering Co. Ltd.