With important financial and security decisions, PM Modi’s new cabinet already seems to be working in the top gear without wasting any time. This efficient work culture may come as a surprise to many; however, for those who are familiar with the tenure of PM Modi as the CM of Gujarat and his first term at the centre know efficiency to be his trademark and intrinsic part of his working style. Out of the many important decisions taken by the new Modi government, few are surely aimed to ride out the financial volatility being faced by the world’s economy.
According to a report by The Hindu, in another push to investments and growth PM Modi has constituted a five-member committee to streamline India’s economic standing in face of multiple challenges arising due to tariff wars and many other reasons. The five-member Committee on Investment and Growth consists of Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Road Transport and Highways and MSME Nitin Gadkari and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. This committee will be a focused group to take measures to bring investments and spur growth in the critical sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing and agriculture, as the economy is passing through a highly volatile period.
According to the data released by the Central Statistics Office, India posted the GDP growth percentage at just 5.8% in the January-March quarter of FY18-19. The data also revealed the net GDP growth rate remained at 6.8% for the FY 18-19 as compared to 7.2% in the previous financial year. The growth in the gross domestic product was slowest since 2014-15. The previous low was 6.4% in 2013-14. However, according to the World Bank, the Indian economy grew by 7.2 percent in 2018-19 in contrast to the estimate of 6.8 percent given earlier by the Indian Central Statistical Office (CSO) for the same time period. The World Bank’s Economic Prospects Report has further forecast India’s economic growth at 7.5 percent during the current fiscal and the next two years. India is going to grow at a stupendous rate even as the global growth remains modest at 3 percent which is forecasted to dip further to 2.6 percent this year.
To further aid decision making and analysis, the Modi government has also started preparations for an economic census which will provide verified, holistic and credible data to assess the current economic situation in India. The inferences from this census will surely give a huge boost to scientific, Policy and Governance decision making. According to a report by All India Radio, preparations are underway for 7th Economic Census (7th EC), which is likely to commence by the end of June or the early next month. In the inaugural session, a workshop for State Level Training of Census trainers for NCT of Delhi will be held today.
Along with the Committee on Investment and Growth, the government also set up a 10-member Cabinet Committee for Employment and Skill Development. In addition to the PM Modi, the committee will include Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister Skill and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey and Ministers of State Santosh Kumar Gangwar (Labour) and Hardeep Singh Puri (Housing and Urban Affairs).