High GDP growth, inclusive development to be key challenges: Finance Minister

October 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee said here on Friday that the UPA Government is committed to ensuring inclusive and equitable growth of the country's economy. Addressing the 88th annual function of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Mukherjee said: "The present Government has a renewed mandate for reinforcing inclusive growth, for which the architecture was laid out by the present Government in its last term.

October 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma will address the National Seminar on "Industrial Productivity for Inclusive Growth" here today. The seminar is being organized by the National Productivity Council, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

July 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said high borrowings of the government and large fiscal deficit were inevitable in the national budget given the need to push economic growth and allocate more funds for welfare programmes. "I had to take this risk.

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 - The Indian economy faces primarily three challenges, according to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget speech. They are: -- "The first challenge is to lead the economy back to the high GDP growth rate of 9 percent per annum at the earliest.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI J - Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has hailed the union budget, saying it has been prepared with great skill and wisdom and with the objective of stimulating the economy and returning to the high growth path.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the first General Budget under UPA Government's second inning, various opposition parties opted to highlight its loopholes in their own way. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi described the General Budget as highly defocused and the worst ever witnessed in his Parliamentary career so far.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee began presenting India's budget for this fiscal in the Lok Sabha Monday, promising all that his government can do to ensure inclusive growth and address the growing aspirations of the country's young population. Dressed in a spotless white bandgala suit, the 73-year-old politician said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government would push forward an agenda that will ensure 12 million new jobs each year and reduce poverty by half by 2014.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today appealed to find ways to bring the economy on the higher growth path without increasing fiscal deficit. Addressing a conference of state finance ministers as part of a pre-budget here, Mukherjee said the Central Government would focus on infrastructure, agriculture and employment generating sectors to promote growth and protect jobs.

June 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The reappointed Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Saturday said the commission would focus on infrastructure development and inclusive growth. "President's address has given much emphasis on infrastructure...

June 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will begin pre-budget consultations with different groups from today. Mukherjee will hold consultations with trade and industry bodies like the FICCI, the CII, the ASSOCHAM and the FIEO, economists, agriculturists, bankers and corporate honchos ahead of the presentation of the budget for 2009-10 in the first week of July.

May 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will begin pre-budget consultations with different groups from Monday. Mukherjee will hold consultations with trade and industry bodies like the FICCI, the CII, the ASSOCHAM and the FIEO, economists, agriculturists, bankers and corporate honchos ahead of the presentation of the budget for 2009-10 in the first week of July.

May 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday began his first full working day in office in his second five-year term at the head of a Congress-led coalition government. He presided over a cabinet meeting at his residence, a day after he and 19 cabinet colleagues took the oath of office and secrecy.

May 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said the new government's focus will be on restoring the economy and ensure inclusive growth. 'Our first priority is to restore the economy, especially keeping the global recession (in mind),' the prime minister told reporters after assuming office for a second term after his Congress party's sweeping win in the general election.

May 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said the priority of the new Congress-led government was the revival of economic growth and creating new employment opportunities that had been slowed down by the global recession. Addressing the newly-elected party MPs after being named the prime minister by the Congress Parliamentary Party, Manmohan Singh said: 'There is some slowing down of investment and employment generation.