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It isn’t Congress’ trademark: Sitharaman tackles oppn criticism over budget
Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is also looking at "long term sustainable growth" besides providing 'quick short term solutions’.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday tore into the Congress’ criticism of the Union Budget she presented earlier this month, saying it has become the opposition’s habit to constantly accuse the Centre in spite of the steps it is taking for the poor. Sitharaman said that the Union Budget 2021-22 is the instrument through which Aatmanirbhar Bharat is to be attained.
"It's a budget which clearly draws on the experience, the administrative capacities and also exposure that the Prime Minister had during his long elected tenure, both as CM and as PM of this country, known for his commitment towards development, growth, and reforms. So these three things are essentially infused in the budget which is now speaking for itself in the sense that it is the instrument through which Aatmanirbhar Bharat is to be attained,” the finance minister said in the Rajya Sabha.
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Sitharaman said the government is also looking at "long term sustainable growth" besides providing 'quick short term solutions’. “So post-pandemic and post-global contraction, economies have suffered across the world. And as I said in my budget speech the attempt made in this budget is to provide strong stimulus, to provide such a stimulus which can bring in a multiplier effect and therefore instead of finding quick short term solutions, even as we provide short term quick relief for those people who so desperately need it," she said.
"We are looking at medium term, long term sustainable growth, which will keep India in that kind of growth trajectory which will maintain us as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world," she added.
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Sitharaman also said that 800 million people were provided free food grains, 80 million were given free cooking gas and 400 million, including farmers, women, Divyangs and the poor, were given cash directly. "Over 1.67 crore houses completed under PM Awas Yojana. Is it for the rich? Over 2.67 crore households electrified under PM Saubhagya Yojana since '17 October. The total value of orders placed on Govt e-market is ₹8,22,077 crores. Are they being given to big companies? They are being given to MSMEs," she said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said Union Budget 2021-22 was "crony centric", which "betrays" the employers of the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). "Modi's crony centric budget means - Struggling MSMEs given no low-interest loans, no GST relief. The employers of India's largest workforce betrayed," Gandhi has tweeted on February 4.
On her part, Sitharaman said on Friday that a false narrative is created to say that this government “works only for cronies." “’Damad', I didn't think is the trademark of Indian National Congress. Damad har ghar mein hota hai. Magar Damad Indian National Congress mein ek specialised naam hai,” Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha. “Loans sanctioned under Mudra Yojana - more than ₹27,000 crore. Who takes Mudra Yojana? Damads?” she also asked.
(With Agency inputs)
