Rangarajan asks govt. to raise resources to provide relief to drought-hit people

New Delhi, Aug 12 (ANI): C. Rangarajan, the chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, has asked the government to raise additional resources to provide relief to drought-hit people.

He also asked for an increased import of essential commodities to check price rise.

Warning that farm sector distress can have serious consequences on the economy, he said, the growth rate could slip to 6-6.5 per cent from 6.7 per cent in the previous fiscal.

Rangarajan told reporters here that there is a need to strengthen the public distribution system so that people below the poverty line could get adequate quantity of rice and wheat at prices which are reasonable.

He said infrastructure sector must be strengthened further for the growth of economy.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reconstituted his Economic Advisory Council bringing back Rangarajan as its head and inducting two new members.

Rangarajan, 77, replaced Suresh Tendulkar, after quitting from the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)