'CII will help startups through tough times,' says newly appointed chairman, Dr. Praveer Sinha

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) western region on Friday shared a list of its focus areas and said that the industry body will help start-ups weather through tough conditions, as it welcomed Dr Praveer Sinha as the chairman of its western region.

Sinha addressed a cohort of media professionals and shared his vision.

"CII would like to focus on competitiveness as that will be critical in strengthening and expanding India’s position as a trusted and resilient partner in Global Value Chain (GVC). A business ecosystem that’s simpler and faster can help India achieve this goal and take on the challenges thrown by the next phase of globalisation," Sinha said.

CII has also intensified its focus on sustainability and shall advocate the use of renewable energy and green manufacturing process.

In an interaction with Business Today, Sinha said that the CII will take adequate measures to help revive startups amid the global headwinds.

"I am very positive about the India story despite the global headwinds. There have also been tailwinds and I am optimistic that CII will help the government and economy stay strong," Sinha said.

The industry body is also in talks with the government to enhance air connectivity from Vadodara, Aurangabad, Nashik and Kolhapur to major Indian cities. Meanwhile, in Goa, CII is engaging with authorities in terms of upgradation, development and expansion of the Mormugao port to make it sustainable and industry-friendly.

CII is focusing on Education and Skilling as important thrust areas. The CII Model Career Centres (MCCs) in Mumbai and Panjim provided services in the space of career assessment, career counselling, skills upgradation & placement/ internship opportunities to the youth. They collectively impacted over 2.57 lakh youth and placed over 41,000 youth.  The CII Skills Training Centre (STC) located in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh trained 900 youth in 2022-23 and over 9,000 till date. It plans to train at least 1,000 youth in the coming year, the industry body said in a statement.