Government will take time to control inflation: Arun Shourie

KANPUR: With inflation touching a five-month high of 6.01 per cent in May, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Arun Shourie today said the new government will take some time to control rising prices. 

"Inflation is not like an electric switch that can be turned off or on anytime...the new government will take some time to control the rising prices," he said. 

Shourie was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the 46th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur, where he was awarded a 'Doctor of Science' degree. 

His remarks came against the backdrop of rising prices of essential food items like vegetables, fruits and cereals that pushed up inflation to five-month high of 6.01 per cent in May. Food inflation stood at 9.50 per cent last month, while the manufactured inflation was 3.55 per cent. 

Shourie blamed the previous UPA government for the price rise, saying, "During the UPA regime, India's debt had increased considerably. So the new government may have to take a few tough economic decisions. Only then inflation will be controlled." 

Holding the UPA government responsible for India's slow growth, he said, "The previous government had considerably reduced development expenditures because it could not decrease the non-development expenditures. For this, the new government will have to take some tough decisions on the economic front only then will the people get relief from inflation." 

Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K Radhakrishnan was the chief guest of the function. 

Telling students about India's Mars mission, the ISRO chief said the biggest challenge will be on September 24 when the spacecraft is supposed to enter the orbit of Mars. 

If it is done successfully, India will be the first Asian country to place its spacecraft in the orbit of the planet and the world's first country to do so in the first attempt, he said. 

A total of 1,273 IIT students were awarded degrees at the ceremony.

Source http://economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/government-will-take-time-to-control-inflation-arun-shourie/articleshow/36778235.cms

Expect agricultural reforms from the Modi government, says Arun Shourie

CNBC-TV18 | 17-Jun-2014 08:45 AM

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Shourie has said that one can expect major agriculture reforms from the Narendra Modi government. In an exclusive interview to CNBC-TV18, Shourie talked about what he expects from Modi's government in the field of economy.

He said that Modi government has to put India back on the high-growth path, scrap controversial laws like the retrospective taxation law, revive investments and bring in big bang reforms. Arun Shourie also said that increasing the minimum support prices without letting it have an impact on inflation is impossible.

"I am not an expert on agriculture, but certainly the idea that you go on raising the Minimum Support Price and it will not affect the inflation is certainly not possible," Shourie said.

On retrospective tax, Shourie said, "One of the most regressive thing was the legislation overturing the Supreme Court judgement and imposing retrospective taxation and it will be very good that government anncouces that we will never go for retrospective taxation. Second they must say that they will contest them in the High Court and not in the SC. Tax administration has gone haywire in the past."

Meanwhile, with inflation for the month of May touching a six month high, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the food inflation is rising due to hoarding of stocks. Jaitley said that fears of a weak monsoon have prompted hoarding. He also said the state governments should take effective steps to ensure that hoarding is discouraged.

He also said he was hopeful of the inflation coming down soon. The wholesale price inflation crossed 6 per cent - up from 5.20 per cent in April. Jaitley also said that the government is watching the rupee movement closely and that the Iraq crisis and fear of rise in prices of oil is affecting the stability of the rupee.

Source http://ibnlive.com/news/expect-agricultural-reforms-from-the-modi-government-says-arun-shourie/479664-37-64.html

India needs a Reforms Commission instead of advisory councils: Former telecom minister Arun Shourie

NEW DELHI: Former telecom and disinvestment minister Arun Shouriebelieves that India doesn't need multiple advisory councils but aReforms Commission that sets the agenda for the country.

"Everyone does similar work and whoever is closest to Sonia Gandhi(in UPA) or Narendra Modi will get heard. The Planning Commissionshould be replaced by a Reforms Commission that tells us where to move forward and how, instead of just doing the same old fund allocations," he said.

Firmly backing the Rajasthan government's decision to amend outdated labour laws to boost job creation rather than wait for the Centre to change these laws, Shourie said this is the only way forward on subjects in the concurrent list of the Constitution.

"Such changes will solve many of the issues where investments are stuck. Labour laws don't help labour, they are only anti-jobs. The fact that you need the government's permission for retrenchment means it's redundant as no government will grant such an unpopular move," he said. Breaking of status quo, said Shourie, is critical for India to move ahead, and it is important to promote competition among states to attract investments, improve working conditions and create jobs.

States could similarly take the lead in the land acquisition law, which the Centre may find difficult to amend. "Under the new land acquisition law, you can't set up a factory for four years. But if it's on the concurrent list, some progressive states can reduce that time frame through state laws," Shourie said.

There is speculation that the former minister would get a critical role in theModi administration, but Shourie categorically said that he is neither speaking on behalf of the BJP or the government.

"Trade unions only represent a small part of even the country's organised labour force. Do you want the process of economic growth and development to be mortgaged to a handful of people? This is the real problem in India. People who are in, don't want to let anyone else enter. And those who are out, will try to get in even through a window," he said, referring to trade unions' opposition to labour law reforms.

Shourie recalled instances from the previous NDA government when existing players opposed changes in the telecom licensing regime or even Air India's disinvestment. "The people who opposed Air India's disinvestment are the same ones who are now opposing the entry of new carriers like Air Asia," he said.

Commenting on the remarkable 'change of discourse from caste to development' in India's politics, Shourie said this had happened because of state chief ministers, 'whether it was Narendra Modi in Gujarat or Shivraj Singh Chouhan inMadhya Pradesh or later evenAkhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh.'

"By contrast, we used to have Lalu Prasad tell people in Bihar that they don't need roads as they have no cars to drive," Shourie said. Calling for a paradigm shift in the Centre-state relations, Shourie suggested that the fund allocation formulas of the Finance Commission and Planning Commission be changed in order to reward states that take progressive steps.

"There are 7 lakh headmasters in India with no leadership skills... if you make imparting skills to them a norm, for instance, and tailor allocations on the basis of adoption of better policies and practices by states to improve things like primary healthcare and the public distribution system, that would go a long way. That doesn't mean that poor states have to be left behind," he stressed.

Source http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-11/news/50508643_1_air-india-arun-shourie-land-acquisition-law

Arun Shourie -- Dhirubhai Ambani Memorial Lecture

Arun Shourie -- Dhirubhai Ambani Memorial Lecture

Political Capital- Modi's A-Team: Arun Shourie

 May 15, 2014

The other name that has been discussed as a potential Finance Minister, if Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister, is that of Arun Shourie.

While Shourie did not contest the Lok Sabha polls this year, he is known to be someone who Modi relies on for inputs on economic policy. Shourie told Vivek Law in September that he found the UPA's strategy to combat inflation and the fiscal situation deeply flawed.

Karan Thapar- Arun Shourie Interview 19/42014 : Video

Arun Shourie 19/42014 HEAD LINES TODAY INTERVIEW

Modi Cabinet: Jaitley, Shourie top contenders for Finance Ministry

 May 20, 2014

Jockeying for key posts in Team Narendra Modi has intensified as the swearing-in ceremony will take place on Monday, May 26. Sources have now told CNN-IBN that Arun Jaitley and Arun Shourie are the top two contenders for the Finance Ministry.

Arun Jaitley has the upper hand even after his defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, say sources. This as Arun Shourie has been out of the political picture for a while.

Modi likely to cut the Cabinet to half of its present size: Arun Shourie

New Delhi: Journalist-politician Arun Shourie, who is likely to get an important role in the Narendra Modi government, has said that as of now no one knows who will get which portfolio except the Prime Minister-designate.

He also downplayed speculations that he met BJP chief Rajnath Singh in Delhi to discuss the role he might be given in the NDA government.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Shourie revealed that Modi will most likely downsize the government and the Cabinet could be cut to half its present size.

Here is the full transcript of the interview:

Rajdeep Sardesai: Are you joining the Narendra Modi government?

Arun Shourie: I frankly don't know and I can assure you as of now no one knows except Modi.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Can I tell you why these speculations has grown. (A) You have gone and met Rajnath Singh and (B) you are back in Delhi and you are spending so much time in Delhi that people are wondering is Arun Shourie back in the corridors of power and is he becoming a minister?

Arun Shourie: Let me take these two points. I was called by Shudhansu Trivedi, a good friend of mine and associate of Rajnath Singh, and he asked me to come and meet Rajnath Singh. I came and met him over a general chit chat.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Nothing to do with government formations?

Arun Shourie: Nothing at all.

Rajdeep Sardesai: The other reason is you are the adviser to Narendra Modi, he has high regards for you.

Arun Shourie: Well that you will know, I will not know.

Rajdeep Sardesai: If Narendra Modi offers you finance ministry, you will not take?

Arun Shourie: I will not answer that question. How can you just build castle in and then decline to owe it?

Rajdeep Sardesai: My final point is that we should not make headline that the battle of finance battle is between two Aruns, Arun Jaitely and Arun Shourie.

Arun Shourie: Yes, absolutely.

Rajdeep Sardesai: What I have seen is a mantra that you have been voicing and interestingly Mr Modi voices - less government and more governance. What does that really mean? As we are reaching to the cabinet formation, you were part of Vajpayee's government of about 80 ministers, ditto with Manmohan Singh. Do we need a leaner smaller downsized government with more focused areas?

Arun Shourie: I think Mr Modi is really keen on that, the first idea is to just collapse ministries. Have higher tier of a ministry for say energy ministry, all the energy, coal, mining other than these atomic energy you can take all the power type of electricity related, one conventional ministry, leave them under Ministers of State and one Cabinet Minister rather then seven. This is one example, similarly in transport.

Rajdeep Sardesai: So you will bring road and railways and all transport ministries under one umbrella?

Arun Shourie: Railway is too big, but we can bring other transports under one umbrella to an extent to which a coordination is required. Sometime there is not that much is required in road and air but in road and railways yes. But the most creative idea in downsizing the cabinet actually came from TV18's Raghav Bahl, he gave a good idea. Just as in banking sector as Naik committee has observed that all bank should be put under a holding company. Raghav Bahl's good idea is to take all the PSU out of all ministries and put them under a holding company. Even under the existing system you will have a situation where you will have an asset of three to four billion dollar to start with, as currently valued. His estimate is that anything you want to raise from 500 billion dollar to trillion dollar in next five years, you can raise and use it for infrastructure and at the same time downsize the government.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/modi-likely-to-cut-the-cabinet-to-half-of-its-present-size-arun-shourie/473925-37-64.html

Exclusive Interview: Arun Shourie On Narendra Modi's Economic Agenda

Mar 24, 2014
In an exclusive interview with ET Now, Arun Shourie, NDA's divestment minister has ruled out big ticket privatisation that the markets are betting on if Narendra Modi comes to power. Shourie, who many believe may be the next Finance Minister, also spells out broad economic agenda of Narendra Modi and how NaMo's focus will be to implement and not ideate too much on economic policy. Hear Arun Shourie talk politics, economics and 'Modinomics'

Arun Shourie Slams Website Reports of Money Being Paid for Ministry

Source NDTV 

http://m.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/arun-shourie-slams-website-reports-of-money-being-paid-for-ministry-529212

New Delhi: Journalist-politician Arun Shourie, who is being tipped to get an important role in the Narendra Modi government, finds himself at the centre of a vicious vilification campaign.

A website politicsparty.com has come out with the insinuation that a businessman had paid a hefty amount of Rs 100 crore to BJP president Rajnath Singh to ensure Mr Shourie landed up with a plum portfolio. The website advocates a brand new cabinet with no baggage from the Vajpayee era, which is why they advise Mr Modi to dump people like Mr Shourie. 

Mr Shourie, 72, had handled portfolios as diverse as disinvestment and telecommunication during the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mr Modi, who takes over the country's reins on May 26, holds the former union minister in high esteem, and is said to have sounded him out for a role in his government. (For PM-to-be Narendra Modi, 20-Minute Presentations from 84 Departments)

"It is such a ridiculous allegation," Mr Shourie told NDTV, adding, "If I had 100 crores, why would I give it to Rajnath Singh?"

What set off the speculation about Mr Shourie's likely induction in the Union Cabinet was a meeting he had with the BJP president earlier this week. "That meeting was not a secret one, it was at 4:30 pm and we discussed election related things," the former union minister said. 

The Magsaysay Award winner says he has no clue about who all are being considered for ministerial slots. "I have no idea who is being considered, neither does anyone else," Mr Shourie said, refusing to even comment on whether he will consider a Cabinet post if it is offered to him.  

The final list of those who make it may only be released on Sunday, the day before the swearing-in ceremony.