The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, industry-led, and industry-managed business association and advocacy group headquartered in New Delhi. It is a membership-based organization with over 9,000 direct members from the private and public sectors.
The organization's history dates back to 1895, when five engineering firms formed the Engineering and Iron Trades Association (EITA) to advocate for Indian-based companies to receive government orders. After several name changes, including the Association of Indian Engineering Industry (AIEI) in 1974 and the Confederation of Engineering Industry (CEI) in 1986, it was renamed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on January 1, 1992. This final change was made to reflect a broader scope beyond engineering and align with the government's move toward economic liberalization.
The CII works by creating an environment conducive to industrial growth, primarily through advisory and consultative processes with the Government and civil society. Its key mechanism is policy advocacy, where it engages with central and state governments on issues like taxation and labor laws. It also enhances industry competitiveness through dedicated Centers of Excellence and fosters international partnerships. The CII connects directly to major national concepts, having played a significant role in the 1991 economic liberalization and being appointed the B20 India Secretariat during India's G20 Presidency in 2023. Recently, the CII has focused on themes like "Accelerating Competitiveness: Globalisation, Inclusivity, Sustainability, Trust" for 2025-26. The leadership changes annually, with R. Mukundan of Tata Chemicals assuming office as President for the 2026-27 term.