Economic Survey pegs GDP growth at 8.7 pc
New Delhi, February 28
Emphasising that in terms of growth the fiscal period 2003-2008 has perhaps been the best-ever five-year performance in the history of independent India, the Economic Survey for 2007-08 warned about a number of challenges which need to be addressed if the current growth momentum has to be sustained in the coming years.

Business page: Chidambaram confident of 9 per cent growth
Editorial: Hopeful picture

	Highlights Inflation rate to decline from 5.6% in FY'07 to 4.4% in ’08 Inflation and infrastructure biggest growth challenges  Farm growth in FY'08 seen at 2.6%, against 3.8% a year ago Foodgrain output seen at 219.3 MT against 217.3 MT in FY'07 Acceleration in domestic investment, savings drove growth Investment climate full of optimism Industrial growth slower at 9% in first 9 months of FY'08
B-DAY THOUGHTS? Finance minister P. Chidambaram outside Parliament building to speak to mediapersons on the economic survey in New Delhi on Thursday. Chidambaram will present the general budget on Friday. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

MPs working overtime to finish democracy, says Somnath New Delhi, February 28 “You are all working overtime to finish democracy in this country”, a visibly angry Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee burst out seeing proceedings being disrupted in Parliament for the third consecutive day over the farmers’ issue. Editorial: MPs vs Parliament

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee

We know N-deal timetable: India
New Delhi, February 28
The India-IAEA talks have chartered into highly sensitive issues over which the two sides are still far from reaching an agreement. Five rounds of the talks have already taken place in Vienna and according to available indications the Indian team is still not convinced that it has got the best deal yet from the international nuclear watchdog, which can be frozen and signed at a suitable date.

Missile strike kills 13 in Pak
Islamabad, February 28
A missile strike early today on a religious seminary and a house in Pakistan’s troubled South Waziristan tribal region killed at least 13 persons and injured several others. The missile hit a madrasa and a house in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan at 2 am when the seminary’s students were asleep, local residents and officials said.

Procurement of milk up
Chandigarh, February 28
While Punjab is paying the highest average price, Rs 16 per litre, the procurement of milk by Milkfed has gone up by about 30 per cent in the state. This was disclosed here today by cooperation minister Kanwaljit Singh. He said Milkfed was procuring about 13 lakh litres of milk daily.

Sethusamudram
Govt clears affidavit
Seeks go-ahead
New Delhi, February 28
Putting behind months of differences within, the government today cleared the affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court seeking the go ahead for the controversial Sethusamudram project, a decision seen as endorsing key UPA constituent DMK’s line.

Man on death row in Pak to be back soon Islamabad, February 28 Indian prisoner Kashmir Singh, who spent 35 years on a death row in Lahore jail, will be released immediately as President Pervez Musharraf has approved his mercy petition, Pakistan government said today. Caretaker human rights minister Ansar Burney, who found Singh during a visit to Lahore’s Central Jail, told reporters that Musharraf had accepted the Indian’s mercy petition on humanitarian grounds and ordered his immediate release.