The history of CII is the story of the transformation of a miniscule association, representing a small segment of industry, to the premier business association of modern India.

The journey began in 1895 when 5 engineering firms, all members of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, joined hands to form the Engineering and Iron Trades Association (EITA).

Engineering and Iron Trades Association (EITA)

EITA was set up with the aim of pressurising the colonial government to place government orders for iron and steel and engineering goods with companies based in India. At that time the practice was to place all government orders with firms based in UK.

Indian Engineering Association (IEA)

The change in name from EITA to IEA was in keeping with the association's decision to exclude traders from the membership and concentrate fully on promoting the cause of manufacturers. It reflected the association's commitment to development of a production base and dissociate itself from the short-run interests of trade.

Engineering Association of India (EAI)

Till 1942 IEA was the only all-India association of engineering industry and represented mainly big engineering companies, particularly the British firms. This led to a situation where the interests of the Indian firms (mainly medium and small scale) were not sufficiently represented. This led to the formation of EAI in 1942 as an affiliate of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

Association of Indian Engineering Industry (AIEI)

Keeping in view the greater interests of the Engineering industry in the country, in April 1974, the two associations - IEA and EAI - merged to form the Association of Indian Engineering Industry (AIEI). For the engineering industry the merger meant a stronger association capable of harnessing larger resources and providing a wider range of services.

Confederation of Engineering Industry (CEI)

Foreseeing the upcoming challenges in the future, the leadership at AIEI felt the need for greater consolidation and solidarity that would put the industry on a stronger footing and would help it meet the challenges of competition and globalisation. This resulted in the change in name from AIEI to the Confederation of Engineering Industry (CEI), reflecting the growth and expansion of the organisation since 1974.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

With effect from 1st January 1992, in keeping with the government's decision to opt for the liberalisation of the Indian economy, the name of CEI was changed to Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). In a new policy environment, it was natural that there would be inter-sectoral integration through a process of diversification and expansion, where the engineering units would diversify into non-engineering units and vice-versa.

Since 1992, through rapid expansion and consolidation, CII has grown to be the most visible business association in India.

Top