The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the Annual General Meeting of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) today (August 2, 2014) at Kolkata.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that India’s growth story is still unfolding. The Planning Commission of India had earlier estimated that investments in infrastructure will have to expand to as much as $1 trillion in the 12th Plan period (2012-2017) for enhancing connectivity and commerce within the country. He stated that there is no doubt that majority of this enormous investment would have to come from the private sector or through PPPs.

The President said that education, especially higher technical education and skill development are areas which need great attention. He said that for India to be a progressive nation, we not only need high GDP growth, but also sound educational and health-care systems which will make growth sustainable and inclusive. We also require sound skill development programmes and infrastructure to create a pool of skilled professionals who can take on the challenges of tomorrow.

This release issued at 1540 hrs.