CII panel to form policy on project rehab plans

KOLKATA: with land acquisition for special economic zones (SEZs) and big-ticket projects across the country emerging as a controversial issue, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has set up a national committee to address it and come up with a feasible policy framework. The committee is expected to come out with the policy in December.

Talking to reporters on Friday, Bushen Raina, chairman, CII (eastern region) said, “We fully agree that a process should be institutionalised to address the problem of land acquisition. It should take into consideration all stakeholders involved in the acquisition process for mutual benefit. This is necessary for sustainable and inclusive growth.”

Incidentally, the CII has sounded out the West Bengal government on issues like land acquisition for industrial use, CII officials said. Mr Raina also unveiled a slew of initiatives that CII plans to take up in the coming months as part of its moves to ensure economic growth permeates from higher to lower sections of society. These include entrepreneurship development, employability and capacity building and education.

According to him, “The CII-Assocham task force on affirmative action has already drafted a report for including the underprivileged segment of the society in the industry. The report proposes concrete steps by industry for greater participation of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the economy. Our programme is based on the recommendations of the task force.”

CII’s eastern regional chapter is also working on special projects which include providing hands-on training to the underprivileged in the trade of masonry/hospital staff/ward boys. There are also projects on entrepreneurship development and coaching for competitive exams.