Finance Minister Chidambaram on reviving economy: highlights

New Delhi: Finance Minister P Chidambaram, addressing a press conference today, highlighted the measures taken by the UPA towards strengthening the economy.

Here are the highlights:

• Various measures taken by govt on a number of issues.
• Broadly, the measures are on the economic side and another set of measures are on the social side
• UPA believes in inclusive growth
• Nobody should be left behind
• Which is why we emphasize both growth and equity
• Some of the measure we have taken:

• Investment in PSEs
• Additional capital to public sector banks
• Number of reforms
• Direct Benefit Transfer now extends to 20% of the whole country
• LPG brought under DBT
• Number of steps to boost exports
• Improve production of coal and gas
• Infra, projects have been cleared
• Environmental clearances
• New ports and airports have been approved
• Two new local projects in railway sector have been sanctioned
• Spectrum issues have all been sorted out
• Fertilizer policy has been approved
• Kochi Metro Rail has been approved
• Work on the freight corridor moving at a fast speed
• National skill-development mission has been launched
• 2,485 km of National Highways were completed last year. Longest length completed in any year
• Number of other steps on the social-sector side
• Most burning issue, violence against women and children
• Criminal Law Amendment Act
• Sexual Harassment at work place Act
• Bills for the street vendors
• National food security ordinance..most important legislative measure of UPA II
• There are people who mock it..im sorry for that: It deals with hunger and malnutrition
• Estimates vary but 40-45% of children suffer from malnutrition
  

• This year, India's growth is expected to be at 6%.
• All emerging markets affected
• I believe we are doing pretty well even if we are at 5-6%