Proposal to open up retail sector not a government decision: FM

NEW DELHI: The proposal in the Mid-Year Review of the economy to open up the retail sector to Foreign Direct Investment could not be construed as a government decision, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said.

"You shouldn''t take that as government''s decision," Chidambaram said adding "Economic Division of Finance Ministry enjoys a large degree of autonomy."

"It is like Economic Survey. I cannot fetter the independent thinking by the ministry and propose freely policy option," he said adding it was for the ministry to take one option and reject another.

But traditionally the Ministry of Finance has enjoyed a large degree of autonomy in writing Economic Survey and so also Mid-Year Review, he said.