High growth needs to be sustained - Chidambaram

Finance Minister P Chidambaram rubbished doubts over the Indian growth story and said high economic expansion witnessed in the first three years of the UPA rule needed to be sustained.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday rubbished doubts over the Indian growth story and said high economic expansion witnessed in the first three years of the UPA rule needed to be sustained.

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"The time has come to shed lingering doubts about the sustainability of high growth and skepticism about the shift to a higher growth trajectory," he told reporters after official figures showed Indian economy grew at the fastest pace in 18 years to 9.4 per cent in 2006-07.

"I would argue the high growth we have witnessed in the three years of UPA government needs to be sustained with utmost care because that is the way forward to eradicate poverty, generate quality job and improve human development indicators," he said.

Chidambaram said he was happy the figures reported today confirmed his belief that the Indian economy had shifted to a higher growth trajectory.