CII, Assam government to form joint task force for development

The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Assam government will constitute a joint task force to work on a five-point agenda for the development of the region.

CII president and co-founder and executive vice chairman of Infosys Limited S. Gopalakrishnan said this Wednesday while talking to the media here, and added that the five-point agenda included skill development and enhancing the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) through capacity building, boosting food processing, health initiatives and supporting IT infrastructure.

The executive vice chairman of Infosys was in Guwahati for a two-day programme that began Tuesday, when Gopalakrishnan also met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

"The region is at the threshold of an exciting transition. We can seize this opportunity for prosperity and development," Gopalakrishnan said and added that the CII is partnering the Assam government for overall economic development of the state, to facilitate policies that will attract investment and improve the environment for business.

"To enhance the competitiveness of the MSME sector in Assam, CII through its Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness will work with the state government for cluster development programmes in the state," he said.

"This would be done for the companies operating out of industrial estates in a phased manner," he said.

The CII would continue its focus on capacity building, skill based training programmes and employability, he said.

"In 2013-14, CII will set up four Skill Hubs across India, including one in Assam, at Digboi," he said.

"To support healthcare, CII will partner with the Assam government in setting up super specialty hospitals in the region. Building on the competencies of the region, CII has identified food processing as one of the major areas of collaboration," Gopalakrishnan said.

He also advocated the need for aggressively marketing the state as an IT destination and highlighting local success stories.

CII is also actively working with the state government on implementation of the Goods and Services Tax and collaborating with the Reserve Bank of India for a one percent reduction in the interest rate on loans.