ASSOCHAM Appoints Manish Singhal As New Secretary General

On Wednesday, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) announced the appointment of industry expert Manish Singhal as its new Secretary General.

Singhal takes over from Deepak Sood, who successfully led the organization for the past five years and has now stepped down to pursue other opportunities.

Singhal previously served as the Deputy Secretary General at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and has extensive experience working with global companies, including Tata Motors, Eicher (Volvo), Tata AutoComp Systems, Moser Baer India, and BEML, among others.

Sanjay Nayar, President of ASSOCHAM stated, “We thank Sood for his immense contributions to rebuilding the Chamber, which now boasts a healthy balance sheet and delivers quality.”

Nayar also welcomed Singhal, asserting, “He has a proven track record in policy advocacy and international business, which will help the Chamber scale greater heights.”

Founded in 1920, ASSOCHAM is India’s oldest apex chamber, advocating for policies that strengthen the Indian economy.

The organization’s vast network of over 4,50,000 members includes both large corporates and MSMEs, contributing significantly to the economic ecosystem.

In related news, ASSOCHAM raised a series of proposals during its pre-budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

These proposals include extending presumptive taxation to MSMEs and new-age businesses like data centers, cloud computing, and data hosting.

Nayar emphasized that such measures would simplify tax compliance, reducing the risk of disputes and litigation.

Furthermore, Nayar called for the establishment of MSME universities to promote skill development and entrepreneurship, alongside the creation of Integrated Infrastructure Townships for MSMEs, a revamped version of the old Industrial Estate Development Program, to further boost growth in the sector.

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