Home Minister P. Chidambaram for focus on economic growth
Home Minister P. Chidambaram says economic growth, change and reforms should be the focus of national discourse instead of security and corruption if the country has to progress.
Mail Today Bureau
- Jul 28, 2011,
- Updated Jul 28, 2011 9:36 AM IST
Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said "economic growth, change and reforms" should occupy the centre stage of national discourse instead of "security and corruption" if the country has to progress.Speaking at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) discussion on '20 years of economic reforms', the former finance minister said security and corruption had currently come to occupy centre stage, which should be restored to economic growth, change and reforms in order to remove poverty and create employment at a faster pace. Chidambaram said security and corruption were important issues that needed to be recognised and addressed but they must not be allowed to occupy centre stage.The former finance minister said the massive stock scam in 1992 was worse than the 2G scam but the country had brought back reforms and growth to centre stage and moved on to ensure that economic development could take off.Chidambaram said, "I am optimistic that the country will overcome the current problems as well and be able to ensure an over eight per cent growth for now and then move on to the nine per cent growth path, which is essential to increase the pace of creating employment and ensure the quick removal of poverty."BJP leader and former finance minister Jaswant Singh said, "There was a complete absence of governance at present; files have stopped moving and people have stopped taking decisions." He said while the country had entered the 20th year of economic reforms, "the RBI has fiddled with the interest rate for the eleventh time. Perhaps this is necessary but it also shows that something is not working properly and prices are rising".Singh said land acquisition has now emerged as a major problem-area as farmers were being displaced. "Agriculture is not only an economic activity but a way of life for the Indian farmer that confers a social identity. You cannot rehabilitate social identity by giving money," he added.Chidambaram hit back at Singh saying that if the so-called "absence of governance" could ensure an 8.5 per cent economic growth rate perhaps this was better than the governance provided earlier. "There is no absence of governance," he emphasised. He said many of the current problems have arisen because the earlier governments did not address the problems related to the insurgency in the north-east and no effort was made to find a political solution to the problem in Jammu and Kashmir.Aspirations for regional autonomy and the land acquisition problem had also been ignored earlier and the Manmohan Singh government was addressing these issues now, he added. Chidambaram pointed out that the second wave of economic reforms introduced in 2004 had to address issues, such as mounting agricultural debt and assuring education for all.In an oblique criticism of the BJP's rule in the past, he said earlier governments did not even talk of food security or assurance of work-for-all while financial inclusion was not even whispered about.Courtesy: Mail Today
Advertisement
Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said "economic growth, change and reforms" should occupy the centre stage of national discourse instead of "security and corruption" if the country has to progress.Speaking at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) discussion on '20 years of economic reforms', the former finance minister said security and corruption had currently come to occupy centre stage, which should be restored to economic growth, change and reforms in order to remove poverty and create employment at a faster pace. Chidambaram said security and corruption were important issues that needed to be recognised and addressed but they must not be allowed to occupy centre stage.The former finance minister said the massive stock scam in 1992 was worse than the 2G scam but the country had brought back reforms and growth to centre stage and moved on to ensure that economic development could take off.Chidambaram said, "I am optimistic that the country will overcome the current problems as well and be able to ensure an over eight per cent growth for now and then move on to the nine per cent growth path, which is essential to increase the pace of creating employment and ensure the quick removal of poverty."BJP leader and former finance minister Jaswant Singh said, "There was a complete absence of governance at present; files have stopped moving and people have stopped taking decisions." He said while the country had entered the 20th year of economic reforms, "the RBI has fiddled with the interest rate for the eleventh time. Perhaps this is necessary but it also shows that something is not working properly and prices are rising".Singh said land acquisition has now emerged as a major problem-area as farmers were being displaced. "Agriculture is not only an economic activity but a way of life for the Indian farmer that confers a social identity. You cannot rehabilitate social identity by giving money," he added.Chidambaram hit back at Singh saying that if the so-called "absence of governance" could ensure an 8.5 per cent economic growth rate perhaps this was better than the governance provided earlier. "There is no absence of governance," he emphasised. He said many of the current problems have arisen because the earlier governments did not address the problems related to the insurgency in the north-east and no effort was made to find a political solution to the problem in Jammu and Kashmir.Aspirations for regional autonomy and the land acquisition problem had also been ignored earlier and the Manmohan Singh government was addressing these issues now, he added. Chidambaram pointed out that the second wave of economic reforms introduced in 2004 had to address issues, such as mounting agricultural debt and assuring education for all.In an oblique criticism of the BJP's rule in the past, he said earlier governments did not even talk of food security or assurance of work-for-all while financial inclusion was not even whispered about.Courtesy: Mail Today
Advertisement
Read more!