CII President Calls for Shift from 'Ease' to 'Speed' of Doing Business in India

NEW DELHI — India must move beyond focusing solely on the ease of doing business to also address the speed at which business transactions and processes occur, according to R. Mukundan, the newly appointed president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). In an interview with The Hindu, Mukundan, who is also the Managing Director and CEO of Tata Chemicals, emphasised the need for faster reforms to reduce delays that hinder industrial growth.

“We need to reform even more,” Mukundan said. “More important for the industry now is the speed of doing business. We have to talk about what can happen in months now and needs to happen in weeks, and what takes weeks must happen in days.”

Mukundan identified “friction points” that delay processes, such as land demarcation after allotment. “You may get land allotted, but land demarcation may take longer because the collector or somebody at the collector office is not available,” he explained. “Until it is demarcated you can’t even put up a boundary wall and start the land filling.” He stressed that both ease and cost of doing business are important, but speed is equally critical.

On agricultural exports, Mukundan questioned why India, with its vast agricultural base, exports less than The Netherlands, the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter. He urged reforms to boost India’s export competitiveness.

Regarding India’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Mukundan highlighted their vulnerability during crises such as the current West Asia conflict and energy constraints. “We discovered in our self interest that we need to ensure MSMEs are equally resilient and ready for the future,” he said, noting that disruptions in MSME supply chains can halt larger production units.

Infrastructure, particularly at handover points between different transport modes, also requires improvement. Mukundan said that moving goods from Jammu and Kashmir to a ship in Mumbai can take up to a week due to friction at these junctions. “Why should it not take 24 hours?” he asked, advocating for seamless integration between road, rail, and sea transport.

On private investment, Mukundan countered recent remarks by Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran, who stated that private sector profits have grown but investments lagged. Mukundan provided CII data showing that net fixed assets of private companies rose from Rs 0.5 lakh crore in September 2020 to Rs 6.9 lakh crore in September 2025, a compounded annual growth rate of 71.7%. “Public investment actually crowds in private investment,” he said. “Now private investment is actually stepping up.”