“I will be first to say we need to do better,” says Indian PM
“I will be the first to say that we need to do better,” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said late Tuesday as he presented his United Progressive Alliance government’s annual report card at a function in New Delhi. Unfortunately, he was about three months late to lay claim to that title, if not three years.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered a long overdue mea culpa Tuesday. But there's little sign so far that he'll be able to follow it up with concrete actions to curtail deficit spending or stem corruption.
"I will be the first to say we need to do better," AFP quoted Singh as saying late Tuesday as he presented his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition's annual report card at a function in New Delhi.
Unfortunately, he was about three months too late to lay claim to that title–if not three years.
Look for my report on the plunging rupee and the government paralysis that led to it later today (or tomorrow, if the editors get stroppy). But for now you can put up with AFP's rather lackluster prose style:
Singh's second term in office has been marked by slowing economic growth, accusations of policy paralysis and a series of corruption scandals that have combined to undermine optimism about India's future development.
"Some people have questioned the sustainability of our growth process. I am confident we will prove the sceptics wrong," Singh said, after listing achievements such as progress tackling poverty and improving primary education.
Read the full report here.