Salient Points
- The Indian economy needs a massive dose of investment in the foreseeable future. We need investment in every conceivable area. The decade ahead of us must be a decade of investment.
- I do not accept the proposition that India can skip the manufacturing stage of development and go from being an agrarian society directly to becoming a services and knowledge-based society. This is a mistaken view.
- Reports are mixed about the results in textiles this year. We cannot miss the opportunities which we once did in the 1960s.
- If it requires modifications to our labour policies to provide greater flexibility which in turn will generate more jobs, we will work with all stakeholders to generate a consensus on this.
- Many of you have concerns about our tax system. Over the last two years, we have moved towards lower tariffs, uniform tax rates and easier procedures. There are still some concerns. I promise to address these concerns over the next year.
- Some steps are already being taken to remove fuel constraints, increase captive coal production, having mega coast based power projects and improving operations of power plants.