Efforts on for consensus on FDI in retail

Pranab expresses govt's commitment to push forward economic reforms

PTI | December 23, 2011



Expressing commitment to push forward economic reforms, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the government is making efforts to build a consensus on important economic legislations, including PFRDA and foreign investment in multi-brand retail.

"Commitment on FDI, PFRDA all the major legislations, which are part of the new generation reforms, are very much in the mind of the government. We are working hard to build consensus," he said while speaking on the annual general meeting of the industry chamber PHDCCI.

The minister said the government wanted to push the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, but could not do so because the UPA did not have the requisite numbers in the Rajya Sabha.

"We decided to have PFRDA legislated in this session of parliament but could not do so ...not because of lack of intention or commitment...you have to recognise the very hard fact that legislation requires numbers which unfortunately Indian electorate has not given to us," Mukherjee said.

PFRDA law, which seeks to increase participation of domestic and foreign players in the pension sector, has been pending with parliament for past several years. According to reports, UPA ally Trinamool Congress has been opposing the Pension Reforms Bill.

On FDI in multi-brand retail, which has been put on hold, Mukherjee said, "Sometimes we have problems and it creates confusion that even after announcement of a policy, government has to stop...that does not mean that we have shelved it".

Referring to growth prospects in the current fiscal, he said that economic is likely to clock a growth of about 7.5 per cent. "When I am talking of 7.5 per cent I am not disappointed...situation is difficult...at the same time we have the capacity and resilience to overcome the difficulty."

The economy grew by 8.5 per cent in 2010-11.

Comments

 

Other News

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

A right she cannot reach

Last summer, the two of us spent several weeks in rural Madhya Pradesh with a non-profit that works on gender justice through women’s self-help groups. We went in with a notebook full of laws. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. The Dowry Prohibition Act. Free legal aid for every wo

Tier-2 cities lead India’s digital credit push

Digital payments have become a reflex for urban India, but the confidence earned in paying has not yet carried over to borrowing. That is the central finding of `How Urban India Pays Report 2026`, released by Pahlé India Foundation in collaboration with Amazon Pay. Based on a survey of 5,149 consu

India calls for doubling bilateral trade with UK by 2030

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has called upon businesses in India and the United Kingdom to translate the opportunities created by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into expanded trade, investment, partnerships and job creation. Addressing the Bu

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter