Mukherjee says he does not visualise a conflict on border dispute with China

London, Nov 9 (ANI): Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that he does not visualize a conflict over the border dispute between India and China.

Talking to reporters after attending the G-20 Finance Ministers meet in St. Andrews in Scotland, Mukherjee said:"I do not visualize any conflict on border dispute between India and China. We have an institutional arrangement, though there are divergences of views.

But in the form of special representatives of Prime Minister's from both the countries, they met regularly, upto now, more than a dozen meetings have taken place. There has been an agreement on broad guiding principles and political parameters. But the actual resolution of the dispute is yet to take place and there has been an still divergence of views and I do not visualize any conflict in that area."

Mukherjee also said that India has been taking initiatives to develop its border areas.From the development in the border areas are concerned, of the Tibetan autonomous region, the development of border is superior to that of ours, but we have started catching up," he added.

He also said that the government has take adequate steps to make up for the shortfall of the food grains due to a bad monsoon.

"Though there may be a shortfall of the grain production, availability will be more to depress the inflationary measures, we have taken adequate cares to maintain the demand and supply position by allowing commodities of shortage fall to be imported most of these are foods without any duty and imports are taking place," he added.

On the climate change issue, Mukherjee said developing countries need to be funded for access to clean technology.

"Funding would be required to have access to clean technology at affordable costs. And what would be the arrangements of the funding, how these resources will come, some indications have been given from time to time and it has been accepted even in the Bali working plan of the climate change conference that developed countries will have to contribute substantially, it can be supplemented by carbon marketing, by private sector," Mukherjee said. (ANI)