Thursday, February 24 2005 12:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The Left parties today (Feb 24, 2005) said that they hope the thrust of the economic reforms should shift towards people's welfare instead of capitalist's profit and this should be reflected in the Union Budget.

Emerging out of a two-hour-long meeting of the Left-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Coordination Committee in New Delhi, Communist Party if India-Marxist (CPM) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters, "The thrust of reforms must shift towards people's welfare rather than capitalist's profit and this shift we hope will be reflected in the Budget."

Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the Government has "greatly benefited" from the discussion with leaders of Left parties.

The Left parties has given a 12-point note on their suggestions on the Budget, which include issues like employment generation, education, health, and agriculture credit and infrastructure, he said.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was attended by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, CPM General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary A B Bardhan, CPI leader D Raja, Debabratha Biswas (Forward Bloc) and Abani Roy of Republican Socialist Party (RSP).