Industry Unveils plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (28 Jul, 2006)
Indian industry has pledged an action agenda for greater inclusiveness of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes through Concrete Steps on Affirmative Action.
The main initiative by industry would include: following a Code of Conduct to encourage greater participation of SC/STs in employment; Massive training for better employability as well as mentoring for creating entrepreneurs belonging to SC/STs are major components of the proposed plan. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will set up a Council to coordinate these efforts by its member companies and appoint an Ombudsman to look into observance of the Code.
This was stated by Mr R Seshasayee, President CII after the CII-ASSOCHAM Task Force report was presented before the National Council of CII. The report emphasizes that a cohesive and integrated society will foster inclusive development, growth and competitiveness.
It may be recalled that the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, while addressing the CII Annual Session in April this year, had called for affirmative action by industry for creating an inclusive society.
Accordingly, Mr Seshasayee had announced the formation of a Task Force under the chairmanship of Dr J J Irani, Director, Tata Sons and Past President CII, to draft industry’s response. ASSOCHAM also joined the Task Force subsequently. The report of the Task Force is entitled ‘Proposed Concrete Steps by Indian Industry on Affirmative Action for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – CII-ASSOCHAM Action Plan’.
Releasing the report to the media, Mr Seshasayee stressed that private sector companies have historically, been caste neutral in their employment policies. In fact, at the aggregate level, the magnitude of the representation of the SC/ STs is probably greater than currently perceived. However, industry recognizes that India’s socially and economically underprivileged Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have not been able to realize their full potential owing to centuries old social discrimination. Therefore, a concerted action is required for their upliftment, said Mr Seshasayee.
The President of CII pointed out that continued economic growth is critical to such upliftment, and therefore private industry is against any legislation that would affect its freedom of choice in employment. Competitiveness of Indian Industry must remain top priority. At the same time, competitiveness would be enhanced by participation of all sections of society in economic activity. This is particularly significant as India’s demographic profile imparts it a unique opportunity for rapid growth.
The Concrete Steps outlined in the report commits that CII will coordinate and assist initiatives by its individual members for SC/ST. It will set up an apex Council for this modeled on its successful Quality Council. It will undertake training programs for managers for advocacy and sensitization. The office of an Ombudsman is proposed to be set up to encourage greater transparency in corporates for SC/ST-directed activities.
CII’s training programs in its six Centres of Excellence, and regular training programs for competitiveness will sponsor participants from SC/ST categories. CII conducts large programs for industry in the areas of quality, energy management, environmental management, technological upgradation, etc. Schemes such as CII’s Skill development Initiative and Rural Business Hubs, among others, will also be better targeted at SC/ST representatives. The Confederation is deeply involved in coordinating social sector programs of companies. Inclusive and sustainable growth in a competitive manner has been a cornerstone of CII’s activities. Thus, it has in place a strong foundation for undertaking the special proposed Concrete Steps for SC/ST, Mr Seshasayee said.
Mr Seshasayee endorsed the report of the Task Force and stated that private industry commits to greater representation of SC/ST in its new recruitment. As the organised private sector employs only 2% of the workforce (~8 million), it is important to create entrepreneurs among SC/ST with suitable mentoring, for them to become part of the supply and distribution chain of larger companies. It is proposed to initiate 100 SC/ST entrepreneurs each year in alignment with the cost, productivity and quality standards of the mentoring companies.
Better employability is crucial to opening up opportunities for SC/ST, presently lacking due to inadequate avenues for quality education. Industry undertakes to provide coaching facilities to cover 50,000 SC/ST students in 50 universities across the country annually, by 2009. Moreover, coaching centres for supporting students preparing for entrance exams to professional and technical courses are also proposed. These facilities will extend to 5,000 students each year to begin with. Prestigious scholarships, numbering 100 initially, will be instituted for SC/ST candidates in national institutes of excellence and universities overseas.
President CII lauded the efforts of the Task Force under the chairmanship of Dr Irani and committed that CII members would follow the Code and the proposed action plan. He expressed confidence that economic mainstreaming of socially underprivileged communities such as SC/ST would be greatly boosted by the proposed Concrete Steps by industry.
Source: CII Online