New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Giving a categorical assurance that Public Sector Enterprises will be empowered with full managerial and financial autonomy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for more government companies getting listed on stock exchanges and taking recourse to amalgamations and mergers.

Addressing the Annual Conference of Chief Executives of Public Enterprises here, Dr Manmohan Singh stressed the need for finding viable means to revive and sustain state level PSUs and ensuring that the interests of workers and employees are not hurt due to 'political interference and bad management'.

The Prime Minister spoke about the need to unshackle the Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) and gave a host of suggestions to improve their functioning.

Others who addressed the gathering in the inaugural session included Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Santosh Mohan Dev, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Kanti Singh and SCOPE Chairman Sarthak Behuria.

The event was organised by the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE).

The Prime Minister commended the Public Sector for registering handsome growth in net profits, turnover, contribution to national exchequer and foreign exchange earnings.

''I am pleased to learn that the total number of loss making PSEs has fallen from 79 to 58 last year. I hope the Board for Reconstruction of PSEs (BREPSEs) will come forward with a time bound programme for revival of PSEs. It must help the government take an early decision on all pending proposals,'' Dr Singh said.

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