New government under Dr Manmohan Singh will push for reforms: Assocham

Apex trade and industry body, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said last week that the new government under Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will push for reforms.

Warmly congratulating Dr Manmohan Singh on his taking over the second term as prime minister, Assocham president Sajjan Jindal has promised him all possible industry support, hoping that the political expediency in his leadership will continue to push for reforms in financial, agriculture and civil aviation etc. for inclusive growth.

Jindal said in a statement said that Dr. Singh has already proved his mettle in the first term of the Prime Ministership and brought about metamorphic social and economic changes in India's plural society.

Jindal said that poorest of the poor will be beneficiary under the prime ministership of Dr Singh and industry will see reforms happening in insurance, banking, financial, agriculture and labour sector so that India consistently achieves higher growth rate under which manufacturing will flourish and jobs created for rural and urban India.

The Assocham chief said that the National Rural Employment Gurarantee Programme and Bharat Nirman will receive higher allocation so that poverty is eradicated and rural India is adequately connected with urban one and the current urban-rural divide is bridged.

The Prime Minister has retained Pranab Mukherjee as the Finance Minister, who has said that his first priority is to present the budget in July, without committing on a date and bring the economy back on the rails and to shield it from the adverse effects of the global economic downturn.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said after the swearing-in-ceremony of the new ministers of the cabinet, that his first priority was to restore the economy and keep up the growth momentum.