Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that government will act boldly and decisively to revive economic growth.

Speaking at a book release function in New Delhi this evening, Dr. Manmohan Singh said that his government is committed to accelerate the pace of economic reforms.

Observing that last couple of years have been challenging, he said, India will prove naysayers and Cassandras of doom wrong.

Dr. Singh said, that government has to deal with macro economic imbalances and major challanges are in key sectors like energy, water and land.

Highlighting the achievements of government in the last five years, Dr. Singh said that growth has been much more inclusive. Prime Minister said that per capita consumption in a real terms in rural areas has increased four times faster from 2004-05.

Dr. Singh said Infrastructure is a key constraint with many large projects held up and the government has set up a Cabinet Committee on Investment to provide a mechanism to overcome bureaucratic delays.

He called for special programmes to meet the needs of excluded sections, especially the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the OBCs and the Minorities.

He said government is implementing many programmes for these sections which need to be expanded and made more effective.