New Delhi: Dubbing the UPA's (United Progressive Alliance) Common Minimum Programme (CMP) as a bold declaration on reforms, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today (May 28, 2004) said that it gave him enough room to be creative and take more initiatives in the reform process.

Chidambaram's statement assumes significance, as the Government is to begin the exercise on budget shortly.

"CMP reaffirms every reform initiative. There is a reaffirmation that is binding to reforms. I think this is a bold declaration as can be made by any Government and it gives me enough room to be more creative and take more initiatives," he said.

Highlighting that the CMP emphasised on reforms with a "human face", he said that his objective was to see that the highest priority was given to investment in agriculture and infrastructure and augmenting rural credit.