Indian President lists centre’s steps on economy

INTERNATIONAL DESK: An improvement in Ease of Doing Business rankings has a positive impact on the countrymen’s Ease of Living, President Ram Nath Kovind said today as he spoke of the government’s steps to simplify investments in key sectors and its focus on public welfare schemes.

Addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day, the President said, “With abiding faith in the inherent capacity of the economy, the government has further simplified investments in defence, health, civil aviation, power and other sectors. The government’s new initiatives to promote eco-friendly, renewable sources of energy, particularly solar power, have won praise around the world. If there is an improvement in the ease of doing business, it has a positive impact on the ease of living for all. In addition to these, special emphasis is being given to public welfare.”

The President also said there is a special focus on public welfare schemes. “For example, the dream of having a home of one’s own is being realised, thanks to the Rupees 70,000 crore credit-linked subsidy scheme,” he said.

In the World Bank’s Doing Business report of 2020, India ranked 63 in the ease of doing business.

The President said the economic impact of the pandemic was as “disastrous” as its health impact.

“The government has been concerned about the lower middle classes and the poor, as well as about the small and medium industries. It has been sensitive to the needs of the labourers and of employers who have been facing hardships due to the lockdowns and movement restrictions. Sensitive to their needs, the government had taken a series of relief measures last year,” he said.

“This year also, the government had distributed food grains to about 80 crore people in May and June. This benefit has been extended till Diwali. Moreover, the government has announced a new stimulus package worth ₹ 6,28,000 crore to boost the selected Covid-affected sectors,” he added.

President Kovind said rural India, particularly the agriculture sector, has kept growing against all odds.

“In a recent visit to my ancestral village Paraunkh in Kanpur Dehat district, I was quite pleased to find that better infrastructure is being developed to make life better for people in rural areas. The psychological distance between the urban and the rural is now much less as compared to the past. After all, India lives in its villages which cannot be allowed to lag behind in development,” he said.
(NDTV)