Auckland (New Zealand) : President Pranab Mukherjee has said that achieving and sustaining high growth is the main agenda of India.
In an interview to The New Zealand Herald, President Mukherjee said growing consistently at around eight percent will help India double its GDP in nine years.
He also said that his government has launched a number of initiatives such as ‘Make in India’ and improving ease of doing business which is boosting country’s growth.
“India has adopted a comprehensive growth-promoting reform agenda to deal with the variety of challenges confronted by India,” he added.
Talking about India-New Zealand relations, the President said, “People-to-people contacts have flourished since many years. Connectivity remains an issue but will be addressed to an extent with the planned signing Air Service Agreement between the two countries.”
Asked what benefits would India get from increased ties or trade with New Zealand, President Mukherjee said, ” New Zealand has strong expertise in areas such as agriculture, food processing, and high-end manufacturing which is of interest to India. Tourism and education sectors also have significant strengths which could benefit India.”
Terming poverty as the most important challenge before India, the President said his government is focusing on those who need the basic necessities of life most urgently.
He said India has had significantly accomplishment in reducing poverty and employment generation is critical to achieve lasting reduction in poverty.
Saying that India’s vibrant democracy, youth and decentralized political system are the major assets, President Mukherjee said, “It is India’s democracy which allows such a large and diverse country to be managed and kept together.”
Counting tacking of corruption as one of the big achievement of India during the last two years, President Mukherjee said the government has transparently auctioned major public assets such as coal and spectrum. (ANI)