PM adresses UN General Assembly
United Nations: The central theme for the vast majority of the members of the United Nations is the challenge of development and eradication of poverty, said the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in his address to the General Assembly here this morning.

"Globalisation has undoubtedly brought enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in economies, integrated market places, higher standards of living and a revolution in global connectivity. But there is also the phenomenon of widening economic disparities, both within and among countries," Dr Singh remarked.

"Connectivity also means that people are painfully aware - in real time - of how far and how fast they are falling behind in their relative conditions of living. Development today is no longer a function of domestic resources and national policies alone. It is a process that is integrally linked to the international economic environment," the Prime Minister maintained.

Dr Singh called on the international community to find ways to "contracting" the circles of exclusion. "We need to find innovative resources of financing and access to technologies that are necessary to assist those who are on the margins of globalisation," he said making the point that just as prosperity cannot be sustained by being "walled in", poverty cannot be "banished" to some invisible periphery.

"Development must return to the centre of global discourse. We must evolve equitable and rule based regimes to manage global trade, investment flows and movement of services," he said.

The Prime Minister reminded the international community that four years ago at the Millennium Summit leaders had adopted ambitious global development goals "but have already fallen behind" in the implementation. "What we lack is a global concert and a mobilisation of the international community to overcome these challenges," Dr Singh remarked.
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Montek: Resignations of experts' may not be accepted
New York: Reacting for the first time to the controversy, over the resignation of foreign consultants in the Planning Commission, Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia has indicated that the resignations may not be accepted. Ahluwalia had earlier

defended the presence of these experts and said that outsiders were needed to get a holistic view.

Ahluwalia is currently accompanying Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on his US visit.

Five foreign consultants from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and McKinsey had resigned after some members of the Planning Commission had protested against the foreign representation in the Commission.
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FIEO team for SE Asia
Chennai: A 15-member trade delegation sponsored by the Union Government is visiting Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to explore business opportunities and will travel under the banner of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).

A FIEO press release said that the delegates would organise buyer-seller meets in the three countries. The delegates represent different industries, including garments, spices and granite slabs.
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Net direct tax collections up 47.66 percent
New Delhi: The Central revenue department has mopped up Rs38,364 crore from direct taxes during April 1-September 17 this year, which represents a 47.66 per cent growth to the collection level of Rs25,982 crore recorded in the same period last year.

Briefing newspersons on the buoyancy in net direct tax collections, the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, said that net corporate tax collections increased by 27.95 per cent during April 1-September 17 to Rs17,206 crore (Rs13,448 crore).

On the personal income-tax front, the collections have surged by 68.8 per cent to Rs21,158 crore (Rs12,534 crore).
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Kamal Nath: Exports may touch $75 billion this fiscal
New Delhi: The country's merchandise exports are likely to touch the $75-billion mark during the current fiscal if the level of growth witnessed so far is sustained, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Kamal Nath, said here on Thursday.

He said that the SEZ Act would be introduced shortly to boost the confidence of investors about the stability of the country's SEZ policy.

Referring to the WTO issues, Mr Nath reiterated the crucial role played by India during the negotiations in Geneva in July last, which led to the adoption of the Framework Agreement.
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