Describing India as 'a haven of stability' in a turbulent global economy, President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the government has simplified procedures for approvals, repealed obsolete laws and put in place a non-adversarial tax regime to attract investments.
Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget session, the President listed out achievements of the Modi government, saying India has jumped 12 places on the ease of doing ranking of the World Bank while foreign investment inflow has risen 39%.
Expressing the government's commitment to firmly deal with "all challenges concerning the security of the country," he said terrorism was a global threat and "strong counter- terrorism measures are necessary worldwide to eradicate it completely."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed hope that there would be extensive discussions on issues of the people during the Parliament's Budget Session.
In his customary brief remarks to media on the first day of a Parliament session, Modi said 'friends' from opposition parties had shown positive attitude during various interactions held with them and expected that its results will be felt by people during the session.
"The eyes of 125 crore countrymen are focused on Parliament, the rail budget and the general budget. World is also paying attention to the Budget Session due to India's position in the global economy today. There has been discussion with parties for the last many days."