We're killing telecom industry, need Trai intervention: Sunil Mittal

Industrialists talk ease of doing business; trade bodies stress on minimum wages, I-T ceiling

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Budget team on Thursday met representatives of India Inc and trade unions for pre-budget consultations.

While industrialists asked the Centre to take more steps to augment ease of doing business, trade bodies stressed minimum wages, an income-tax ceiling, and pension.

Industry representatives, who included Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Confederation of Indian Industry President Vikram Kirloskar, and Assocham President Balkrishna Goenka asked officials to "create more freedom for industry to perform".

The corporate leaders highlighted several issues, including income tax roadblocks coming in the way of mergers and acquisitions or slowing businesses. 

"I have come here today to discuss only one thing — make doing business easy in the country. That was what my thrust was," Mittal told media persons after the meeting.

"The idea is to create more freedom for industry, for them to perform. I think the finance minister received them very well with her associates and secretaries. What we look forward to in this Budget is that it unleashes the energy of the Indian entrepreneurs to do more," Mittal said.

"We are unnecessarily killing this industry in a manner and way that is not conducive for our industry, and that's why we need Trai intervention," Mittal added.

Expressing similar views, Assocham President Balkrishna Goenka said for "ease of doing business, states have to play an important role" and last mile issues are there, which need to be resolved. When asked about the meeting, CII President Vikram Kirloskar said: "We talked about ease of doing business, which are the issues concerning many industries." RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group Sanjiv Goenka said the discussions "centred around more around what can be done to stimulate growth, to facilitate the ease of doing business".

"I think the finance minister and her team were extremely open to all suggestions," Goenka said, adding that "it is the first time I have seen this kind of response from the government".

On the current slowdown and its impact on capacity utilisation across many industries, Goenka said industry recognised that it could take up to four quarters before capacity utilisation reaches its peak. 

"We understand that, and that is the reality of the situation," he said.

Industry representatives also recommended that the centre should reduce income tax for those who earn less than Rs 20 lakh in a year so that there is more disposable in the hands of consumers, and that interest rate transmissions should be sped up.

"During the interactive session lasting over two hours, prominent industrialists spoke about improving regulatory environment to safeguard investments through ease of doing business, increasing export competitiveness, reviving private investment and kick-starting growth measures," said an official statement after the meeting.

Earlier in the day, trade unions urged the government to provide a minimum wage of Rs 21,000, minimum pension of Rs 6,000 under the Employees' Pension Scheme and tax exemption on annual income of up to Rs 10 lakh.

The unions also raised concerns over rising unemployment in the country, saying "employment generation has nose-dived in recent period". During the meeting, they suggested that massive public investment in infrastructure, social sectors and agriculture would generate employment and the Union Budget should give it a priority.

They demanded that all vacant sanctioned posts in various government departments, including railways, PSUs and autonomous institutions, should be filled through fresh recruitment. They also suggested the finance minister that ban on creation of new positions and mandatory reduction of government posts should be lifted.

Lodging their protest against fixed term employment (FTE), the unions said the provision of FTE should be done away with, and concerned notification should be rescinded forthwith. They also raised the issue of price rise saying that the government should ban speculative forward trading in essential commodities and take steps to curtail hoardings along with strengthening public distribution system.