Rajiv Kumar appointed new FICCI secretary general

A well-known economist and the author of several books, Kumar joined FICCI as the director general in October 2010. Prior to FICCI, he was chief executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Relations (ICRIER) - a leading economic policy think tank.
"FICCI embraced a bright future under Dr. Mitra, witnessing exceptional growth and becoming Indian industry's voice for policy change," said FICCI president and chairman of FMCG major Marico, Harsh Mariwala.

Talking to reporters after taking over as the new secretary general, Kumar said FICCI would focus on a nine-point agenda to liaison with the government and expedite reforms.
These include expanding the share of manufacturing in the country's gross domestic product, improving agriculture yields and by making the supply chain more efficient and removing market impediments.

"We also plan to increase our corporate membership from the current 120 to about 200," said Kumar adding that FICCI would concentrate on the southern and eastern parts of India in the membership drive.

The industry lobby would also focus on expanding its international tie-ups with global think tanks and would be an economists' forum that will bring together policy-oriented economists and economists from ths corporate and financial sectors.