Infrastructure: Indian firms need to do more

Indian companies have not developed an ability to collaborate with one another to create the required infrastructure for catering for the needs of specific industries, an industrial research journal said.

Citing an example of retailing, the conclusion drawn by the journal based on number of studies pointed out, 'Indian woefully lacks formal retailing and wholesaling infrastructure, relying instead on unorganised channels.'

"There are some well functioning consortia like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry or Confederation of Indian Industries which serve as a constructive lobbying arm, but relative to the scale of the opportunity to create, say, industry specific public goods, there is less action than needed", it added.

Echoing similar views, Planning Commission member Arun Maira, present on the occasion of the release of this journal said, 'there is a need for a collaborative approach among government, research institutes and industry.'

Citing the example of special economic zones as such collaboration, he said, 'initiative is required for collaboration within the state and between clusters and public and private sector.'

This issue of the Indian Journal of Industrial Relations was released today by industry body CII in association with the Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations, Harvard Business School and Indian Research Centre (HBS IRC).