Brazil to grow responsibly in economic crisis

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said Tuesday her country would grow in a responsible manner depite being affected by the economic crisis. "Though we are not immune to the crisis, we can shield ourselves and make the growth process elevate our economic capacity and the number of jobs and opportunities," she said at a promotion ceremony of Armed Forces general officers at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia. The president assured Brazil would maintain its investment scale. Both local and federal governments are working hard to carry out "firm and concrete" actions against the crisis. In the past few weeks, Rousseff and other government officials said on several occassions that Brazil is more prepared to face the crisis now than it was in 2008. The president also said the government's greatest challenge is to promote development and wealth distribution, not fight corruption. "The challenges in this country are to develop and distribute wealth. All the rest ... is occupational hazard," she said when asked about the challenges of fighting government corruption. The president reaffirmed her support of her cabinet ministers, some of whom are facing corruption and embezzlement accusations. Rousseff has changed three of her cabinet ministers since January. The most recent shift was Transportation Minister Alfredo Nascimento, who resigned amid corruption accusations. The agriculture minister is also facing investigations. Regarding education, Rousseff said four new federal universities and 120 technical schools would be established. "In the next four years, my government will deliver 208 new federal technical education institutes. By 2014, the country will have 562 institutes," she said.