Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the budget in Rajya Sabha on Friday, saying it provides a stimulus to the economy for a high sustainable growth rate.
Responding to a debate on the budget, he said economies around the world have suffered from the pandemic. “In this Budget we tried to provide a stimulus, provide a strong stimulus and provide a stimulus that can generate that kind of multiplier effect and therefore, instead of finding quick solutions in the short term, even if we provide short-term quick relief For those people who desperately need it, we are also looking for sustainable medium and long-term growth that will keep India on that kind of growth trajectory that will keep us one of the fastest growing economies in the world, ”he said.
Sitharaman said that it is a Budget that is based on the “experience, administrative capacities and also the exposure that the Prime Minister has had during his long term as Chief Minister and Prime Minister of this country, known for his commitment to development, growth and reforms ”.
On the accusations of “cronyism” from the Opposition, and that this was a Budget “for the rich”, Sitharaman said: “I just want to give some details before going into some of the details in the Budget to say that under PM Awas Yojana Sir, more than 1.76 crore of houses have been completed. Is that for the rich? The homes that are being electrified under Saubhagya since October 2017, are more than 2.67 crore rupees. Is that for the rich? The total value of orders placed on the government e-market is Rs 8.22,077 crore, which is more than Rs eight trillion. Are they being delivered to large companies? Are they being given to MSMEs. “
“So we have helped small and medium-sized companies to make sure they get a market. Is that for the rich and the big capitalists? The length of the roads authorized by Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, strictly between 2014-15, is 2.11,192 km. Those roads go to the villages. Are these towns just for the rich? Or are these the towns where people who belong to the lowest sectors of society also live?
The Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, also responded to the opposition’s accusations in his speech. He said that the Budget will help make the country atmanirbhar or self-sufficient. Unlike the government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, there were no corruption charges against the Modi government. “Doctor saab [referring to Singh] he was an honest man but there was no department in his charge where there was no corruption, “he said. Thakur also blamed Congress for “sinking” Air India.
He reiterated that his party was committed to doubling the income of farmers and that the new agricultural laws do not threaten the mandi system and the MSP.
Bhupendra Yadav of BJP also claimed that the new agricultural laws were aimed at reforming the agricultural sector. “The three farm laws will bring new life to the rural economy,” he said.
Rajeev Chandrashekhar of the BJP said: “This budget indicates that the worst economic crisis that India has faced in centuries is behind us, and marks a turning point in the road map that the Prime Minister has laid out for expansion and prosperity.”
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