Azim Premji hopes PM will step up policy execution

Bangalore  :  Azim Premji, IT czar and chairman of Wipro Ltd., Tuesday hoped that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would initiate steps to execute infrastructure and government projects for spurring growth.

“Let us be optimistic on the prime minister and give him a fair chance to execute the policy initiatives taken by the government so far,” Premji told reporters here.

Admitting that it was difficult for him to predict how the policy initiatives would roll out, Premji lauded Manmohan Singh for taking over the finance portfolio in addition to the responsibilities of the prime minister’s.

With president-elect Pranab Mukherjee resigning as finance minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to contest the presidential polls, the prime minister has kept the crucial ministry with himself.

“I think more than policy initiatives, what is important is that there should be a systematic execution of various policies, which are part of the existing policy,” Premji asserted at a briefing on the global software major’s first quarter (April-June) financial results of this fiscal (FY 2013).

Calling upon the government to focus on large areas for execution, Premji said various projects held up for some or other reasons were required to be put on stream and accelerated.

“It is the key responsibility of the principal secretary (in the prime minister’s office) to ensure execution of policies and projects that have been pending for implementation for too long,” Premji pointed out.

The IT czar had been of late critical of the prime minister and the central government for the policy paralysis that has been plaguing the country due to lack of visionary leadership.