PTI

BHOPAL STEPPING out of the capital, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Media on Tuesday held an interaction with journalists here to assuage concerns over the current economic situation, saying there is no cause for alarm or panic.

“Just as we recovered after 2008-09, we are confident we can recover in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Kindly remember that we are subject to what is happening in the international arena,” Home Minister P Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram said in the first of the media interaction programmes of the GoM in state capitals that he was in Bhopal to mark the completion of three years of UPA-II as “there is much to be satisfied about but there are also challenges.” Along with two other member of the group— Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy, he said, “2011-12 has been a year of declining growth because of the eurozone crisis. While we recognise the challenges the economy faces, I want to say on behalf of the government that there is no cause for alarm or panic.” The ministers were in Bhopal to meet Bhopal gas victims and activists in the wake of the Supreme Court asking the government last month to take a decision on the disposal of toxic waste left in the aftermath of the disaster in 1984 which had claimed thousands of lives.

“The centre had spoken to the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra but all of them refused to allow disposal of the toxic waste,” the home minister, who visited the Bhopal Memorial Hospital, set up for gas tragedy victims, said.

“Before saying anything about the manner in which the present situation was being handled, one must remember that there were different contexts in which the UPA-I and UPA-II were functioning,” the former finance minister said .