The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Sunday rolled out a sweeping set of reform proposals aimed at accelerating India’s economic transformation and boosting its global competitiveness. The industry body’s blueprint, titled “Policies for a Competitive India”, lays out more than 250 recommendations across 14 key sectors, ranging from taxation and labour to energy and trade.
At the centre of the CII’s proposals is a call for a simplified Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure, alongside its extension to petroleum products and real estate. The roadmap also advocates rationalisation of tariffs, stronger employment policies, and dedicated frameworks for the gig economy.
CII President Rajiv Memani said the recommendations were designed to align with the government’s Viksit Bharat vision and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for bold, transformative reforms. “As a live document, Policies for a Competitive India will continue to evolve, bringing fresh ideas to support policymakers,” he noted.
The suggested reforms cut across a wide spectrum:
- Fiscal and Economic Governance: stronger fiscal discipline, improved inflation management, and modernised statistical systems.
- Privatisation & Investment: strategic disinvestment of non-core PSUs, establishment of a sovereign wealth fund, and measures to attract long-term capital.
- Ease of Doing Business: decriminalisation of minor violations, time-bound regulatory approvals, single-window clearances, and second-generation Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) reforms.
- Labour & Employment: streamlined labour codes, a national minimum wage framework, gig economy policies, and faster dispute resolution mechanisms.
The CII also put forward an ambitious set of energy sector reforms, including competitive tariff structures, elimination of cross-subsidisation, expansion of private sector participation in nuclear energy, and a comprehensive green hydrogen strategy.
On the legal front, the report advocates for strengthening commercial courts, expanding arbitration councils, and improving tribunal oversight to speed up dispute resolution.
Sanjiv Bajaj, Past President of CII and Chairman of the Task Force on Reciprocal Tariffs, underlined the urgency of the proposals. “As India moves rapidly towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, it must add pace and depth to its reform agenda. With Free Trade Agreements creating new opportunities, Indian industry must be prepared to compete globally,” he said.
Additional recommendations include a dedicated e-commerce export policy, greater support for manufacturing through industrial corridors and freight connectivity, phased compliance norms for MSMEs, and climate-focused initiatives such as sustainability-linked procurement and digitised climate data.
According to CII, the collective impact of these reforms would drive economic growth, spur job creation, strengthen resilience, and ensure long-term sustainability — positioning India as a global leader in its journey towards Viksit Bharat.
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