Business Standard

FinMin to remain open on this Saturday, Sunday

Image

Press Trust of India New Delhi

It will be business as usual for the entire staff on Saturday and officers above joint secretary rank will attend office on Sunday.

P Chidambaram, considered a hard task master, took charge of the Finance Ministry on August 1 after a gap of about four years. He was the Finance Minister of India during 2004 to 2008.

The re-entry of Chidambaram comes at a time when Indian economy is threatened by deficient monsoon putting pressure on already high food inflation.

Besides, the other issues which the Ministry has to tackle on urgent basis includes slowing industrial output, subdued exports, rising fiscal deficit and declining investor confidence.

 

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has already indicated that deficient monsoon is likely to pull down the economic growth in the current fiscal to about six per cent, down from 6.5 per cent a year ago.

"If we factor in that agriculture which would not be strong...(growth) would be closer to 6 per cent. I don't think we have sufficiently strong industrial turn around yet", he said.

As regards 2012-13, the Reserve Bank has recently lowered the growth projection to 6.5 per cent from 7.3 per cent in wake of deficient monsoon and global economic problems.

  

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Aug 03 2012 | 5:05 PM IST

Explore News