The Hindu Business Line : CII study throws up concerns over skilled labour shortage

(From left) Mr B.V. R. Mohan Reddy, Deputy Chairman, CII, Southern Region; Mr N. Kumar, Past President, CII; and Mr P.K. Mohapatra, Chairman, CII, Southern Region, at the annual regional meeting 2008 of the CII in Chennai on Monday. —

Our Bureau

Chennai, April 14 Demand for quality healthcare and education, better infrastructure, good governance and a unanimous belief in the strong growth prospects for the four Southern States characterised the Vision 2025 for Southern States, a survey by the Confederation of Indian Industry – Southern Region.

The optimism apart, concerns were also expressed by the public on the shortage of the skilled human resource and the need for the public and private sectors to come together to train a huge pool of skilled workers, nurture agriculture and conserve environment for the sustainable development of the region.

The report, Southern Leap Forward – Vision 2025 for Southern States based on interviews and focus group discussions with a cross-section of political leaders, officials, sector leaders, farmers and youth outlines the aspirations and views of the people in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Addressing a conference Vision Quarter One, in which the report was presented, Mr N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu Group of Publications, said that the Southern States have a tremendous opportunity to cooperate as a region. Though there were some issues of chauvinism, the industry and the CII can influence politicians and suggest fair and equitable principles to address issues. “Please do not avoid engaging in the political sphere,” he said.

The shortage of skilled labour force is another issue – experts point out the huge shortfall in the number of educational institutions, particularly medical and engineering colleges, needed to produce a trained human resource pool, Mr Ram said.

While it is clear that the South and the Western regions are clearly doing well compared with other regions, the States cannot afford to be complacent. But India does face major issues of mass deprivation and farmer suicides. Policy makers cannot afford to lose track of such issues, he said. Mr P.K. Mohapatra, Chairman, CII Southern Region and President and CEO, Tech Business Sector, RPG Enterprises, the corporate sector was beginning to look at larger issues beyond just company performance.

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