Growth rate can go beyond 6 percent: Pranab Mukherjee

September 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee n Tuesday said that India should consider nuclear energy as a ource to overcome power shortage and fuel economic growth. Mukherjee said this while addressing an international conference n 'Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy' in the national capital.

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the positive growth in the Indian industry will continue in the next few months, but it may fail to compensate for the shortfall in exports. Manufacturing output rose 6.8 percent during July, as per data released by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) here Friday.

August 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday said that the government had taken steps to save the weaker sections of the society from the rising prises. Addressing the members of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Pranab Mukherjee said that the government was providing subsidy to the people using the Public distribution system.

July 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian economy is showing some early signs of recovery and the government will ensure that its policies help nurse the country back to high growth path, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Tuesday. "There are some early indications of recovery," Mukherjee said during his reply to the debate on the national budget in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

July 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that the government would resort to more borrowings to increase 'public expenditure' for a higher economic growth. The minister said this while addressing the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India here in the national capital on Saturday.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to come back to the higher growth path as fast as possible. Speaking at an interactive session with industry leaders in New Delhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the growth has to be inclusive and not only in statistical terms.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday said recovery of Indian economy in the current fiscal would be difficult unless there were visible improvements in the global economic scenario. Speaking to a television channel after presenting the union budget for 2009-10, Mukherjee said the economy would likely recover in the third quarter of 2009-10, but if the western economies did not improve, we will take a longer period.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the first general budget at 11am today in Lok Sabha. This is the first general budget of the UPA government after coming to power for second term.

June 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday defended his decision to despatch the Central forces to Lalgarh in West Bengal, signifying Centre's commitment to provide security personnel to any state government which requests for them. "If any state government requests for paramilitary or other Central forces to tackle difficult law and order situations by following constitutional norms, the Central government will send them," said Pranab Mukherjee.

June 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said banks have agreed to consider interest rate cuts, responding to his strong pitch saying measures to ease their burden were not being passed on and that industry needed credit at reasonable rates to push overall growth. "They have agreed to explore the possibility, Mukherjee told reporters here after a review meeting on the country's financial sector with the chiefs of commercial banks and other lending institutions.

April 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has rejected BJP claims that the United Progressive Alliance is falling apart. On Sunday, Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi that all the constituents of the alliance except PMK are still with the UPA.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Despite the global economic slowdown, India is the second fastest growing economy in the world and has recorded a sustained growth of over 9 percent for three consecutive years for the first time, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Monday. Presenting the interim budget in the Lok Sabha, Mukherjee said the gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 7.5 percent, 9.5 percent, 9.7 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in the four fiscal years between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With export growth falling on account of the global economic slowdown, the government Monday announced the extension of subsidy on interest of credit for labour-intensive export units till September-end. The interest subvention of 2 percent will be extended beyond March 31 till Sep 30, Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the interim budget in parliament.

February 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian economy will grow by 7 percent this fiscal even as recent projections by global agencies like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) say that advanced countries' economies would shrink by 2 percent, Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee said here Thursday. 'I am proud to say that in 2008-09 India will still grow by 7 percent,' said Mukherjee while addressing the 81st annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

January 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian economy will grow at 7 percent in the current fiscal, External Affairs and stand-in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Thursday. 'Indian economy will bounce back as the fundamentals of the economy are strong,' Mukherjee told reporters after meeting officials of the finance ministry.