The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : CII plans 20-year vision document

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Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

CII plans 20-year vision document

Staff Reporter

The aim is `economically competitive and socially inclusive Tamil Nadu' For `economically competitive, socially inclusive Tamil Nadu'

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry will prepare a 20-year vision document that will envisage an `economically competitive and socially inclusive Tamil Nadu.'

CII State Council chairman and director of TVS Electronics Gopal Srinivasan told a press conference here on Tuesday that the document would emerge out of interactions with stakeholders, urban planners, bureaucrats and academia. It would be finalised by the year-end. Besides submitting the document to the Government, the CII would take the core concepts to cities and towns.

The document would focus on skill development, socially inclusive entrepreneurship, the empowerment of the marginalised sections, inclusive cities, branding Tamil Nadu and affirmative action.

Investment destination

The State was a critical investment destination with its information technology services output in 2006-07 of $3.7 billion that was forecast to jump six fold to $10 billion by 2011, an employee base of 1,70,000 software engineers, a yearly production of 100 million mobile phones and the capability to roll out 1 million cars a year. These provided "big opportunities for innovation," Mr. Srinivasan said.

The CII would provide 10,000 Scheduled Caste/Tribe students with industrial skills training and 100 marginalised youth with soft skills training to demonstrate that unemployment had more to do with lack of opportunity than dearth of capability. It believed that both skilled human resources and job vacancies were aplenty, and its initiatives would link the one to the other.

A vocational school for the SC/ST youth at Sriperumbudur and a scheme to provide micro-finance to 100 SC women entrepreneurs were part of its plans.

Under the concept of inclusive cities, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission would be rolled out in Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai, Tier II and III cities upgraded and a host of project vehicles launched in Chennai under the auspices of a City Connect Trust. The CII would also celebrate Tamil language and culture through supporting events such as Chennai Sangamam and Tamizh Kondattam.

Sooner than later, Mr. Srinivasan said, Chennai would have to adopt the twin-airport model, as had been done in several cities, to absorb increased air traffic. Yet, until a second terminal was in place, it was necessary that the existing airport be modernised.

Chennai's growth hinged on nurturing satellite cities. In fact, the capital had witnessed the phenomenon in Old Mahabalipuram Road, Sriperumbudur and Maraimalainagar. Some of the big-ticket events that would roll out this year to showcase development include `Connect,' `Foodpro,' `Biz Gems' and `Logistics.'

R. Sathish, Head, State CII office, was present.

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