President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that political stability and new initiatives taken by the central government will help India emerge as an attractive investment destination. He also said that a GDP growth rate of 8% is needed to "achieve our objective of alleviation of poverty, hunger and other such problems". The president added that this growth rate is achievable "if we make united efforts in this direction".

Mukherjee said that for better economic performance, a re-energised manufacturing sector is crucial, reported PTI. Speaking at the 185th anniversary of the Calcutta Chambers of Commerce, Mukherjee called for "out-of-box" solutions and technological interventions to tackle the country's problems. He further said that India's foreign exchange reserves of $353 billion as of October-end are at comfortable levels, providing a cushion for any crisis.