India to maintain 7.5% growth in 2008-09: PM

Prime minister (PM), Manmohan Singh has said that despite economic recession and the difficult situation in western countries, India`s growth rate would be maintained at around 7.5% in 2008-09. India recorded 7.6% growth in the last quarter of the current financial year.

Economic crisis was looming all over the world due to the recession that started in the US and Europe, and India was not an exception to it, the PM said, adding `we are not untouched by the economic crisis`.

Some western countries` economic growth rate was negative and recession was hovering there, Singh said, adding the Central government had taken measures to face the crisis.

``Our export, industry and credit availability would bear the minimum effect due to the Centre`s steps to face the economic challenge and recover from it``, he added.

This is the first time that growth in four consecutive years has been 9%, he said, adding industries and businesses were given a boost, new jobs were created, and stagnant agriculture got great momentum.

The UPA government considered that the farmer was the backbone of the country and hence the National Agriculture Development Yojna and Food Security Mission were redrawn with priorities in the past four years, he added further. - IRIS

Read the full post...

PM: global institutions must be representative

India will emerge stronger from the global economic crisis and global institutions must be made more representative of developing nations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday.

In speech to a conference, Singh said the world had become more interdependent and the voice of developing nations must be heard in the high councils of global decision-making.

"Global problems require global solutions. This is the most important lesson of the past century for the present century," Singh said.

"But global institutions of governance must be made more inclusive and representative," he said, according to a text of the speech.

Singh took part in a summit in Washington last weekend with leaders of the Group of 20 nations to discuss how to tackle the crisis which has shaken financial markets worldwide, frozen credit markets and pushed some major economies into recession.

He said the G20 meeting was the first time developing nations' voices had been heard with respect in a global forum and said there was agreement that recourse to protectionism was no remedy.

Indian authorities are struggling to shore up growth against the impact of the global financial crisis and have taken a host of steps including sharp rate cuts to fend off damage to the broader economy.

Singh said the world was in a deep crisis but despite an adverse international environment India had the capacity to sustain a growth rate of about 8 percent.

"We will, through the use of fiscal policies, through the use of monetary policies, through the use of public investment, ensure that the shortage of demand coming as it is from the global slowdown is neutralised to the maximum possible extent," he said.

Read the full post...