Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal, President - Elect, FICCI, in his concluding remarks said, "Our economy has been cruising at a steady pace. We need to maintain the growth momentum and slowly accelerate the same. And this is exactly what your budget has aimed for."
Mr. Mittal said that the economy is waiting for some very vital directions as it gears to move on to a higher growth path. You mentioned introducing the GST and the Direct Tax Code in April 2011. These are comprehensive reforms and would substantially contribute to our overall competiveness. To compete with the best in the world we need the best infrastructure, a competitive taxation framework and a supporting financial services sector.
He said that the social sectors issued needed to faced upfront. "We have a young population. We have the opportunity, unlike many other countries, to harness the demographic dividend. However, our demographic advantage can turn into a disadvantage unless we are able to offer the right skills and training to our youth," Mr. Mittal added.