Business Desk, ETV Bharat: In a discussion in the Lok Sabha today, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman boldly defended the announcements made in the Budget 2021-22 on February 1.
Here are the key highlights from her speech in which she spoke about farm laws, responded to the allegations made by Congress to favour capitalists and the other announcements made by her in the Budget.
⦁ FM said that the budget has set the pace for India to become Atmanirbhar and that the budget is made for India's economic revival. The challenges of the pandemic did not deter the government from undertaking reforms for maintaining long term goals of the country, she added.
⦁ FM blamed Rahul Gandhi for spreading fake narratives on various issues and asked why the Congress party has taken a U-turn in its position on farm laws. She said that in 2019-election manifesto, Congress had promised similar reforms in agriculture.
⦁ FM pointed out that under PM Kisan Samman Yojna, Rs 1.15 lakh crore has been transferred to 10.75 crore farmers. She also said that in 2020-21 alone, Rs 75,000 crore is transferrred to 69 crore farmers .
⦁ Hitting at the Bengal government, FM said the list of farmers from the state did not reach the government and therefore 65 lakh farmers from the state were unable to benefit from the scheme.
⦁ Quoting WHO, FM said that water and sanitation also contribute to health and therefore the government has included it in the budget. Even after including water and sanitation, the allocation to core health has not come down but gone up, said FM.
⦁ Striking a blow at Congress, FM asked the party to take full responsibilty for mismanaging MNREGA and giving the benefits to non-existing, ghost workers.
⦁ To give relief to MSMEs in pandemic, FM said that the government made sure that MSMEs are not drawn to court ot declared insolvent. She said that we extended deadline for paying taxes and gave relief by providing money to the MSMEs.
⦁ Taunting Congress party by saying that BJP does not work for "Damads", FM said that government under PM Narendra Modi works for common people. She said that the government has launched Swanidhi Yojna for small traders, dalits, poor and backwards. The government also launched PM Awas Yojana under which 1.76 crore houses have been built and under Saubhagya scheme, 2.67 crore houses have been electrified. All these schemes are not for cronies, FM added.
