CII President welcomes Congress' manifesto

President of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Kris Gopalakrishnan, on Wednesday welcomed the manifesto released by the Congress Party.

"CII welcomes the release of the Congress manifesto which stresses on the aspirations of the common man. The rights to health, to pensions and to housing are three major initiatives promised by the Congress, which will go a long way to support inclusive growth," he said.

"CII is happy to note that the manifesto has pledged to restore India to 8% plus growth rate within three years and boost manufacturing to 10% with special emphasis on small and medium enterprises. This will be done by ensuring a globally competitive business and investment-friendly environment. Importantly for industry, the manifesto has committed to introduce the Goods and Services Tax Code Bill and a new Direct Tax Code Bill in Parliament and ensure that they are enacted within one year," Gopalakrishnan added.

The Indian National Congress (INC) on Wednesday released its manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls due next month. The party in its manifesto focused on a slew of pro-poor promises which includes houses and health for all and more jobs for the youth.

The tagline of the party's manifesto, which was unveiled in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had the tagline "Your Voice, Our Pledge.