Click to play videoNew Delhi: The man behind India's economic reforms, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has advised corporates on focusing on welfare.
With corporate austerity replacing the more familiar mantra of growth, has the PM's focus changed?
Not quite, says corporate India, he's just taking the reforms process forward.
“What perhaps is concerning him is how does he enlarge the concentric circle of beneficiaries?" said Secretary General, FICCI, Amit Mitra.
But India Inc's view isn’t shared by the UPA's friendly opposition: the Left.
“It’s good as pious wishes. Nobody can really dispute the PM,” said CPI-M leader, Nilotpal Basu.
The Left says economic growth must achieve tangible welfare gains for the people and that calls for practical schemes, not just Prime Ministerial utterances.
“From the PM what they hope are not just words but actual actions,” said Basu.
Despite what the PM says and what the Left is demanding, policymakers of the UPA speaking to us off the record say the Government's priorities have not changed.
The UPA remains committed to growth as they see it is the only way to generate jobs and drag a significant section of the population out of poverty.
For the UPA, it is a game of balancing priorities and perceptions and with only two years left before the general elections it is a time when the UPA needs the pro aam admi tag more than even before.
So perceptions clearly matter more than actual priorities.
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