Mukherjee to state finance ministers: Find ways to bring economy on higher growth path

September 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Setting a personal example of austerity, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday travelled from Delhi to Kolkata in economy class of a budget airline. "It's nothing new to me.

September 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a clear and firm message Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday that ministers and bureaucrats who are entitled to travel on state expenses should undertake domestic travel in economy class. Mukherjee said that they could fly in business class for international travel.

September 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - There is little hope of reversing the slowdown in India's merchandise exports in the near term, and the country's growth is expected to decelerate in the next two quarters, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday. But a revival of the country's economy can be expected from the last quarter of this fiscal, Mukherjee said during an interaction with the members of the Forum of Financial Writers and the Commonwealth Journalists Association here.

September 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - G-20 countries have decided to continue with the stimulus packages till the global economy is fully revived, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday. The club of finance ministers of developed and developing nations also agreed to postpone the "exit strategy" till the full recovery of the world economy.

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 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.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday pushed for commercial banks to cut interest rates, saying the measures announced by the central bank to ease their burden were not getting adequately reflected. Between September 2008 and April 2009, RBI reduced the key policy rates and also reduced the CRR (cash reserve ratio) and SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) requirements for banks," Mukherjee told heads of public sector banks here.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government must aim for growth with fiscal prudence, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Thursday, even as he pushed for a pan-India goods and services tax from April next year. High levels of fiscal deficit are not sustainable in the medium to long term, both for the states and the centre, the finance minister told a pre-budget conference with finance ministers of states and union territories.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said reviving India's economic growth will be his top priority in the coming months and assured every step to complete the budget process for this fiscal by July 31. "All my senior colleagues in the ministry are fully cooperating with me to fulfil my commitment.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Promising enhanced spending on infrastructure projects, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said all such ongoing projects will be revisited, and recalibrated when required, to achieve the desired results. "My government will have to focus on implementing and strengthening the infrastructure investments," the finance minister said in his maiden press conference after taking oath as senior-most minister in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cabinet last week.

May 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh after taking oath of office and secrecy on Friday said that his government's focus will be on restoring the economy and ensure inclusive growth.

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.