The Confederation of Indian Industry’s Western Region plans to establish up to 25 new multinational companies from western India over the next two to three years, focusing on strengthening SMEs, boosting exports, and addressing India’s balance-of-payments pressures.
CII Western Region expects its SME-to-MNC programme to help create as many as 25 new multinational companies from western India over the next 2 to 3 years, according to Vir S Advani, chairman of the regional body and managing director of Blue Star. Speaking to ANI, Advani said the initiative is designed to strengthen smaller firms’ capabilities, raise competitiveness, increase research and development spending and build leadership talent so they can scale up and enter export markets.
The programme covers Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa and is being rolled out over a 12-to-48-month period. Advani said the wider aim is not just corporate expansion but a larger export push that could help narrow India’s balance-of-payments pressure. He linked that pressure to a higher import bill, including energy imports and component purchases, at a time when the rupee has been under strain.
CII’s western region, one of the country’s most industrially significant clusters, has been positioning itself around competitiveness, sustainability, globalisation and inclusive growth. In March, industry reports said the regional council had unveiled a 2026-27 strategy under the banner of “Viksit Pascheem”, reflecting an effort to align the region’s strengths across its four states with national development goals.
Advani has also framed the western region’s role more broadly as a test case for India’s next phase of industrial growth. In earlier remarks reported by Fortune India, he said industry, government and society would need to work together to make growth sustainable, while preserving western India’s place as a major engine of economic activity. CII, he added, is already working with its 720 members in Gujarat to expand export capacity.
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