Following are the highlights relating to economy in President A P J Abdul Kalam's address to the joint sitting of Parliament:
- Rate of inflation showing an upward trend in recent months
- Government to take all necessary steps to ensure that the poor are not adversely affected by inflation
- Economy to grow by close to nine per cent during current year 11th Five Year Plan target of 9 per cent annual growth feasible
- Fiscal responsibility not an academic obsession
- Growth to ensure equity and keep inflation under check
- Additional employment generation a major focus area
- Social safety net under NREGA to cover whole India in five years
- Government committed to provide food security to poor; strengthen Public Distribution System
- Government to step up investment in agriculture
- New rehabilitation policy on anvil; amendments in Land Acquisition Act to follow.
- Acquisition of agricultural land for industry and terms of compensation issues of major public concern
- Urgent need for national consensus on energy pricing and policy
- Emphasis on building world-class infrastructure; government to promote public-private partnership
- Government succeeds in ensuring a turnaround of Indian Railways
- Manufacturing sector to grow by about 11 per cent in 2006-07
- FDI inflows exceed $10 billion; exceed FII inflows for the first time
- 2007 to be the year of broadband
- Negotiations to be launched on a broad basis in India EU trade and agreement
- India welcomes resumption of negotiations in the WTO
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