New Delhi: The Finance Minister P Chidambaram, on Sunday laid out a six-point reform agenda to enable the economy to achieve and sustain annual growth rates of eight per cent and above in the coming years.

While addressing the India Economic Summit 2005, he said that he was optimistic about the reforms agenda - two each in agriculture, industry and services - along with the required ability to complete infrastructure projects ahead of schedule, would help the economy move into the eight-per cent growth trajectory.

Chidambaram said that growth rate of 3.54r per cent to 4 per cent in agriculture was achievable.

The two main agenda points identified by him are the need to step up public investments in irrigation and the need to allow the corporate sector to enter into activities leading to the tilling of the land and activities that follow the production of agricultural goods. He, however, made it clear that the on-farm activities should continue to belong to the tiller.

The finance minister said that there was a need to allow more FDI in industry. He said the government should not enter into the services sector and the only two exceptions should be the health and education services. He added that services that are hitherto relatively closed should be opened up to more competition.

He said that the commerce ministry has initiated a public debate on FDI in retail and expressed the hope that the ministry would, in the coming months, be able to arrive at a solution that satisfied all concerned.