PTI Photo/ Shahbaz Khan
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chairs the Full Planning Commission Meeting for the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) in New Delhi.
Need Courage, Risks to Achieve Higher Growth: PM
Government does not not appear to be in any mood to yield the demands of allies and opposition to roll back the policies on FDI in multi-brand retail and the diesel price hike with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying it was an important step in the right direction.

After unleashing big bang reforms measures in the last two days, he said it will take "courage and some risks" to break the policy logjam and strongly favoured higher FDI and FII flows.

Justifying the diesel price, Singh said rational energy pricing was critical and "our energy prices are out of line with world prices".

In his opening remarks at the full Planning Commission meeting for approving the 12th Plan document, the Prime Minister spoke of three economic scenarios of "strong inclusive growth", "insufficient action" and "policy logjam" and said the country needed close to one trillion dollar investment in infrastructure sector during the period.

Outlining the three scenarios introduced in the Plan document, he said Scenario I called "strong inclusive growth" presents what is possible if the policy actions mentioned in the Plan are substantially implemented.

"I believe that we can make Scenario I possible. It will take courage and some risks but it should be our endeavour to ensure that it materialises. The country deserves no less," he said.

In big ticket reforms, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Thursday decided to hike diesel prices and put a cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders while yesterday the Cabinet and CCEA cleared FDI in multi-brand retailing and aviation and disinvestment in four PSUs.

Referring to high fiscal deficit and the need to bring it down, the Prime Minister said the 12th Plan projects a current account deficit of 2.9 per cent of GDP.

"This must be financed mainly through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) flows so that reliance on external debt is limited. I believe we can attract the financing we need provided out fiscal deficit is seen to be coming under control and the growth momentum is regained", he said.

Singh said, energy is a difficult area where policy needs a comprehensive review. "Rational energy pricing is therefore critical. Our energy prices are out of line with the world prices. The recent increase in diesel price is an important step in the right direction."
Emerging story. Watch this space for updates as more details come in
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7/D-18
Sep 17, 2012
08:08 AM

Go for it .... time for everyone to go for broke based on what they believe and think is right.

The PM should of course have a personal agenda of also reclaiming his personal honor and legacy. Hope he is able to withstand the heat, stand firm and go for broke whether it is pressure from his own party (to forget the revenue side just focus on the expense side with populist gimmicks), the FAMILY, BJP as opposition (desperate to win the next one but floundering thus far and hence throwing all the available darts hoping one would hit the bulls eye) and allies like Mamata di, Mulayam da and other sundry regional satraps who are clueless of economics and just looking for bale outs from the central government - fortunately as of now only WB and UP are states that are bimaar, and only solution they expect is money to fund the habits that make them bimaar rather than look at bitter medicine to get out of old habits.

If this means elections, so be it. Show you care about putting India on the right path economically rather than a party, a family and power.

Arun Maheshwari, Bangalore
6/D-62
Sep 16, 2012
11:31 AM

So it can be safely assumed that so far, you were lacking courage and were risk averse.

It can also be inferred that your claims of growth slowing due to global factors were lies similar to your claims of being a resident of Assam.

Whats InAName, San Francisco
5/D-40
Sep 16, 2012
09:19 AM

 Fiscal deficit is not going to come under control by forgoing revenue by gifting  spectrum, coal, oil, land etc to cronies, allowing tax havens like Mauritious to be a route to avoid paying taxes by MNCs and domestic companies alike and then wasting the small tax revenue collected from the salaried middle class in votebank schemes like NREGA which produces infrastructure which does not last one monsoon, not to mention allocating no funds to create infrastructure to store grains or vegetables .

bharat, delhi
4/D-127
Sep 15, 2012
11:22 PM

Bringing the fiscal deficit under control must be our top priority. The PM must be congratulated for standing firm.

Anwaar, Dallas
3/D-122
Sep 15, 2012
10:50 PM

This is the only way to take India forward.  Three salutes to the Hon. PM.  You will never be able to please opposition "despots".

Kel Shorey, Glasgow
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