BOMBAY (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged companies to set aside jobs for the country's lower classes as he launched his party's election campaign for western Marashtra state.
Singh told reporters his government, which has already adopted a policy of public sector job "reservations" for the lower classes, hoped the private sector could follow suit.
"This is our national policy but we would prefer that the private sector comes forward and shoulders this reponsibility," Singh told reporters.
Singh later told business leaders that by giving lower classes a chance, companies would be helping the country's overall development.
"I am not saying that we should dilute our standards, but we need to fulfill aspirations of young men and women from weaker sections," he said.
"We have no intention to come out with a legislation on (job) reservation, but I am sure industry on its own should do more to take this responsibility and that these people get employment opportunities."
The prime minister earlier gave voice to a dream of seeing India's financial capital Bombay overtake China's Shanghai.
"Bombay's transformation in five years should be so much that people should forget Shanghai and talk of Bombay," Singh told reporters.
"The city has many problems such as pressure on transportation, on communications, social services, there is multiplication of slums," he admitted.
"But we will work with the new state government to find giant solutions to these problems."
Singh, who heads the left-leaning federal government, did not however elaborate on any specific long term plans to improve the city of about 17 million people.
He later left for New Delhi, but would be returning to Maharashtra to address three election rallies.
Maharashtra is currently ruled by Sonia Gandhi's Congress-National Congress party alliance.