The finance minister, who was in Ahmedabad, says double-digit growth necessary to provide food, jobs, education to all.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that growth at 10% was not just a statistical requirement, but a bare necessity for the country. He also stressed on the Centre’s commitment towards the aam aadmi.
“The 10% growth is a bare requirement for the government to be able to provide food, jobs, education, nutrition and security to 100-crore plus citizens. The country must continue to aim for higher growth,” the FM told a gathering of IT officials and prominent businessmen in Ahmedabad. Mukherjee was speaking after formally inaugurating a residential complex for IT officials and laying foundation stone of a new IT office building at Vejalpur.
“I have infinite appetite for resources,” he said, asking the tax department officials to aim for higher revenue collections. The senior minister said that tax laws will be simplified and stabilised, while tax rates will be moderated. He also said that various exemptions provided to tax-payers would slowly phase out.
Speaking on how the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi continued to influence decision-making, the finance minister said, “The thoughts, ideas and principles of the Saint of Sabarmati are uppermost in our minds. The wellbeing of aam aadmi is the philosophy we are working with.” Referring to initiatives like RTI and NREGA, Mukherjee said, “There has been a paradigm shift in the approach to development in recent years, particularly in the last six years.”
“Earlier, we felt development will take place due to trickling down effect, but now the focus is on empowering people by giving them entitlement backed by legal enactment.” He also said that the government was committed to implementing the Right to Education Act. The finance minister also spoke about the robust growth in tax collections.
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