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ASSOCHAM Now on an Inclusive Plank

Gurdeep Singh
Jan 2011

In the 90th year of its existence, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has outlined an ambitious agenda of broad-based inclusiveness spanning different segments of the economy, a kind of shift in gear from itsarlier role of directly espousing the cause of Corporate India. In an exclusive interview to UNI, the incoming President of the ASSOCHAM Dilip Modi outlined the areas of such an inclusive approach.

These include financial inclusion, digital inclusiveness, an inclusive growth entailing future infrastructure development, global inclusiveness and talent inclusiveness. This he called the five pillars of inclusiveness. Till date, the apex Chamber, has been liaisoning with the government, on issues of direct relevance to industry and commerce, such as taxation policies, the broad areas of interest relating to sectors such as telecom, infrastructure, power and the like. Yet of late, it has entered into broad explorations in areas such as school drop outs, performance of companies relating to greening of India, corporate social responsibility, reasons for stress levels of corporate employees and the big wigs of companies and what have you.

Modi, the youngest President of the Chamber, who takes over the mantle from Mrs Swati Piramal, the only women President of the Chamber, has also set in motion the process of setting up new offices in India and expand its operations abroad, the latter being a new initiative. Modi, however, did concede that the inclusive agenda was in the long term interest of India Inc, for it wants the digital revolution to spread to hitherto unexplored territories of rural India and the lower income groups, need to broad-base talent which will serve the interests of the growing segment of industry and the phenomenal growth of the services sector, achieving a larger market size by expanding the scope of financial inclusion, building infrastructure in rural areas and deeper and broader linking of India with countries of South Asia and South East Asia.

Modi said the new offices that the Chamber would open will be in Chennai and Kolkata. The new offices overseas include one in New York and the other in Tokyo. Mr Modi said there is a lot of investment potential that can be tapped from Japan and eager to set up operations in the country. ''Infact, there can be a surge in investments from Japan,'' Modi said.

Born into a business family of repute in the Indian Corporate circles, Modi has built the Group into a multifaceted management business entity, including Spice Communications. On other issues, Modi preferred a calibrated approach to entry of foreign investment into the retail sector, starting with a 26 per cent FDI level into the segment. Modi also spoke about plans to link Universities with the farming sector for greater transfer of knowledge. He said the Chamber will work closely with the government in working out Free Trade Agreements that are to take shape and the

ones that are to be signed up. ASSOCHAM began as a chamber which voiced the concern of foreign business and gradually moved over taking more and more Indian business into its fold. Thereafter, it widened its horizon and broadened the scope of its operations, the latest in this league being economic and social inclusion. (UNI)

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