New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that the Union Cabinet has given "in-principle" approval for the sale of strategic stake in 28 state-run companies, including national carrier Air India.
On the first day of the winter session of Parliament, the Minister said in a written reply that the Central government has so far raised 17,364 crore in fiscal 2019-20 as disinvestment proceeds against the full-year's target of 1,05,000 crore.
Countering Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann's allegation that the country is facing a slump in the economy, Thakur said: " Where did you get the figure? There is no economy slump of 5% in India." He said that the country continues to be the fastest growing economy in the world.
Speaking on the economy during Question Hour, the Minister said the merger of banks and tax concessions to industries, measures to boost foreign direct investments and for the MSME sector were among the steps the government had taken to strengthen the economy. "By 2025, India will be a five trillion dollar economy," he said.
