This Article is From Nov 15, 2014

Reform Must Be Insulated From Political Pressures, PM Modi Tells G20 Leaders

Brisbane: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a strong pitch for politics-free economic reforms ahead of the G20 summit in Brisbane and made it clear that reform has to be driven by the people and that it cannot be undertaken by "stealth".

"Reform is bound to face resistance...must be insulated from political pressures," PM Modi told fellow G20 leaders.

PM Modi told fellow G20 leaders at a Retreat in Brisbane that reforms should lead to simplification of processes and that methods of governance must be reformed.

The retreat was hosted by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the Queensland Parliament House where the leaders met without aides shortly before the annual summit of the 20 industrialised and major economies kicked off at the Brisbane Convention Centre in the afternoon.

Asserting that reform must be people-centric and people-driven, he said globally reforms are handicapped with perception of being government programmes and a burden on the people and this needs to change.

Noting that reform is a continuous multi-stage process and that it must be institutionalised, the prime minister said it must be technology driven and must have scale and address root causes.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin had told reporters yesterday that Prime Minister Abbott had specially requested PM Modi to outline his vision for reforms at the informal meeting of G20 leaders at the retreat in addition to his intervention at the main summit.

The Group of 20 - which comprises 20 of the world's biggest developed and emerging economies - looks to meet a two per cent increase in its combined growth over five years through economic reform and infrastructure investment. The group accounts for 80 per cent of world trade and 85 per cent of global economic production.

Mr Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Australia in 28 years and is scheduled to visit three other cities - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne - between November 16 and November 18.
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