The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has appealed in a letter to the Chief Minister to ensure the smooth functioning of industries during the nationwide general strike on March 28 and 29.
A CII statement said all MSME units, including trade and services, were reeling under the economic pressure caused by pandemic-induced restrictions. Business loans had increased and the immediate future would see rising non-performing assets, the CII said.
Businesses everywhere are coping with their urgent needs and looking at ways and means to get back on track. As the industries are slowly returning to normalcy and resuming their operations, any disruption in industrial and commercial activities during the nationwide general strike would further negatively impact their activities, said the confederation.
The CII also expressed the opinion that the strike by political parties should be restricted in such a way that normal life and businesses were not affected even as the government of Kerala is looking to improve its ease of doing business ranking. Allowing industry, services and trade to operate normally during the strike days would boost the confidence of the business community at large, the statement added.