Industry must help in social initiatives: FM

Finance Minister P Chidambaram yesterday called upon industry representatives to help the government in delivering its social sector initiatives.

"I ask you to send your young executives for two-three years. It might involve a financial sacrifice. We will pay them what the government can afford to pay. You can top it up with some money," he told the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Council members.

Chidambaram has invited participation from the private sector in five key social sector initiatives: drinking water, primary education, primary healthcare, sanitation and food for the very poor.

He said he would send a list of requirements to the CII in about two weeks' time.

The finance minister made the offer after he had said the government machinery to deliver social sector programmes needed beefing up.

"We have an uneven delivery system, and the private sector is not coming forward," he said. "Tamil Nadu is efficient at delivering family planning, other states are not. Kerala is good at delivering education and Karnataka is good at delivering drinking water," he added.

Chidambaram also invited participation from the private sector in upgrading the 500 ITIs in the country as proposed in his Budget speech.

"We want to take up 100 ITIs each year. These need to be raised to international levels. I am throwing this challenge to the private sector. The government will provide the money," he said.

Responding to a suggestion from Tata Steel MD B Muthuraman, Chidambaram extended an invitation to steelmakers on how to make the industry globally competitive. The meeting is slated to happen either later this week or early next week.

"If the right infrastructure is provided to the industry, there will be no more clamouring for reducing the customs duty," Muthuraman said.