CII must be a vehicle for change, says new DG

SS Mehta, the new director-general of the Confederation of Indian Industry, says the industry association's role has moved beyond the boundaries of an industry lobby to that of a facilitator of change, embracing more inclusive causes.

"As the closed economy opened up, the role of advocacy became lesser and more things became apparent and began to happen. The industry body (CII) then began to see how to carry the growth forward, how does the growth reach out to the people who have been left out of the loop," Mehta, who took charge last month, told Business Standard.

"In the eye of the common man "" from industry and otherwise "" the CII must be a vehicle for change, it must be a vehicle that enjoys the ability to get people to understand why change is necessary. Can it help that? Can it contribute to that? That inclusiveness is the fundamental objective of what we are trying to do in democratic India," Mehta said.

While the CII still runs missions on manufacturing innovation, sustainable growth, inclusive growth and knowledge and skills, its horizons have broadened to special areas like an environment management division, a project in Bihar, a skills development programme, the Indian Business Trust for HIV/AIDS and an emphasis on education.

"I think we're occupying a certain amount of space in relation to the demand and challenges that our members face, and are willing to face up to it. They want to be part of inclusiveness and sustainability," Mehta said.

He said the CII now acted more on the lines of foreseeing situations and preparing the industry for them, rather than waiting for trends to show up and then reacting to them.

"The purpose of the CII is to try and start a movement and see whether it catches on so that the larger community benefits from it," he said.

It happens over time, it begins with advocacy, then it starts making a delivery at the cutting edge and once everyone's imagination has caught on to what is happening, you will see a large number of people getting into the act. This happened with our initiative in quality management," he said.