Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Iconic Day celebrations of the Department of Economic Affairs with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) here today. Along with the Union Finance Minister, Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, D/o Economic Affairs; Dr. Anantha V. Nageswaran, Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance and Shri S.K. Mohanty, Whole Time Member, SEBI also participated. The occasion also saw participation from key dignitaries and prominent leaders from the world of finance.
In her address, the Finance Minister said that India's fundamentals are once again sound because of the many steps taken by the Government since 2014. Major steps taken by the Government, before the COVID-9 pandemic hit us, which include reducing the corporate tax, ensuring that the economy is greatly digitised, bringing in the GST and IBC - all of this heavylifting prepared us for the unprecedented situation of the Pandemic, she said.
Smt. Sitharaman emphasised that when Government looks at targeted approach of providing assistance and takes the input from the ground and does so quickly, in time and in an open fashion, the impact is for all to see. In this context, she cited a study on Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) which brought out that the probability of people cutting down consumption utilities has come down by 75% across the country. The study has also shown that the PMGKY reduced the probability of borrowing money by 67% of all respondents.
Citing another study on the Emergency Credit Liquidity Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), the Finance Minister stated that as of March 2022 loans sanctioned under this scheme have crossed Rs 3.19 lakh crore and the scope of ECLGS has now been extended till 2023. The study says that this handholding has kept many people afloat during the Pandemic.
The third study highlighted by the Finance Minister was on the Ayushman Bharat scheme wherein the implementation of this scheme has been associated with a 21% decline in out of pocket health expenditure and 8% reduction in the tendency to borrow for emergency health purposes.
The Finance Minister underlined that the Department of Economic Affairs has channelised external aid towards every region of the country, with the support of multiple multilateral institutions. India very smartly raised funds and distributed them not only for infrastructure building but also for livelihood prospects in each region. Smt. Sitharaman also appreciated the DEA's efforts through the IDEAS project that spans across so many countries and making a difference to livelihood environment, especially for most of Africa and also for the Island countries.
In his address during the AKAM celebrations, Chief Economic Advisor Dr Anantha V. Nageswaran said that the structural reforms of this Government, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) will manifest their advantages and potential in the coming decade, once the current clouds of global political developments and macro monetary policy challenges dissipate. The CEA underlined that for these reasons India is forecasted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cross $5 trillion by 2026-27 and if GDP of the country doubles every 7 years, we will be $20 trillion GDP by 2040 with the per capita income close to $15,000.
Dr Nageswaran stated that India is better-positioned than many other countries in facing the current challenges. He indicated that we face challenges of managing a sustainably high growth rate, moderate inflation, keeping the fiscal under balance and also ensuring that the external value of the rupee remains stable. The CEA stated that the Government is prepared to meet the challenges of balancing these core important considerations.
Whole Time Member, SEBI, highlighted the development of securities market since SEBI's inception. He also highlighted the recent initiatives undertaken by SEBI to mitigate the challenges posed by COVID-19. Finally, he emphasised the investor awareness activities undertaken by SEBI for greater inclusion of investors in the financial markets.
Carrying forward the time-honoured tradition of discourse and exchange of ideas, the morning session witnessed stimulating discussions on 'Emergence of women investors in securities market' and 'Growth of Indian retail investors' during the symposium on 'Jaagruk Niveshak: Samridha Bharat ki Neev' organised by SEBI in collaboration with DEA.
The first panel on "Emergence of Women Investors in Securities Market" focused on how women investors are increasingly making an indelible mark on the securities market and the challenges being faced by them. The second panel on "Growth of Indian Retail Investors: Challenges in becoming an informed investor" highlighting the growth of investors in securities markets and overcoming the challenges faced by these investors in accessing financial markets and new methods by which they can be made aware about various facets of securities markets.
The Finance Minister launched 'NETRA (New e-Tracking and Remote Administration)' Portal and Mobile Application for Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) today. Under the IDEAS, Government of India extends concessional finance to low and middle-income countries through the EXIM Bank of India aimed at sharing India's development experience by way of infrastructure development, capacity building, trade and skill transfer. Till date, India has offered concessional financing aggregating $34.56 billion to 66 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region. The scheme has recently been revamped with enhanced focus on infrastructure creation, asset quality and speed of delivery of projects.
CAclubindia
