New Delhi: For the financial year 2021-22, Delhi Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia presented a budget of Rs 69,000 crores in the Assembly. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described it as efficient financial management. Manish Sisodia, the Man of the Efficient Financial Management, Delhi, spoke to ETV Bharat exclusively.
Question: How is it possible that after coming to power in 2015-16, you increased the budget by 104 per cent? You had raised the budget of Rs 41,500 crores to Rs 65,000 crores. Even after the adverse circumstances of Corona, the budget has been increased. How did this become possible?
Answer: It is possible because, as you also said, that the best models that have come out in the country or around the world in better financial management are when the government gives the money in the hands of the people when the government through their policies create such situations that people have money in their hands to spend. And so that money comes in the market again. Then the people purchase from using their money. New jobs are created from it. New production takes place and then there is more progress. This is simple economics which is adopted all around the world. We have done this work in the last five years, following the same policy and therefore, the electricity and water expenses of the people decreased. Today, in the houses of 75 per cent of the population, the electricity bill amounts to zero. They saved on health and education money and the remaining 25-30 thousand rupees was spent in the market. When this amount of money suddenly came into the market, then demand increased. The government gets tax due to the increased number of jobs. People make big policies, but they do not make sure there is money in the hands of people so that they can have purchasing power and, therefore, the economy fails.
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Question: With this budget, you think that over the next 25 years the per capita income of Delhi will increase 16 times. Have you dreamed of a per capita income as much as Singapore?
Answer: Definitely we have dreamed so and not just dreamed but have also worked on it. We have also worked in the last five years and will continue to work for the next five years as well. What is the per capita income in Singapore right now? Singapore now has a per capita income of 34 lakh rupees, while in Delhi it is now one lakh seventy-five thousand rupees per capita income. We have done a calculation and it shows that with this growth rate in Singapore after 25 years from today, the per capita income of Singapore will reach 48 lakh rupees. We also have to make our per capita income of 48 lakh rupees per person. One way for that is to provide excellent education, support entrepreneurship and go forward with the women participation which we have provided in the budget. If all these plans are implemented properly, then you will see that we will reach there before time.
Question: By giving 38 per cent of the budget to education and health, you retained your political identity which kept the education and health budget. But what about the patriotic budget? For that, the nationalist identity has been somewhere of your rival party BJP. Do you think that through this you are cutting away the politics of nationalism or patriotism?
Answer: We do not intend to bring any cut. In the 75th year of independence, wherever there is an Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, BJP, or any other party in power, it should be painted in the colour of patriotism. We are celebrating 75 weeks of patriotism in the 75th year. We intend to do a lot of things in order to celebrate 75 weeks of patriotism and that is why there are so many announcements in the budget. A patriotic curriculum is needed because every educated man should be a staunch patriot.
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Question: Along with being called a hardcore patriot, there is negativity or pessimism somewhere. What is your patriotic formula or definition?
Answer: What is adulteration in patriotism? I believe adulteration when you salute the tricolour, shout ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai but you treat women with profanity. It spreads the pollution or you indulge in asking for or giving bribes, then what kind of patriot are you? If you get a chance, you adulterate. Then this is adulterated patriotism. Either a man is a staunch patriot or an adulterated patriot. In fact, adulterated ones are not patriots at all but they call themselves to be one.
Question: The dream is to organize the Olympic Games by 2048. What do you have to say on that?
Answer: That will definitely happen and we are fully prepared for that. We have built so much infrastructure in the past five years and in the next 5-10 years, we will build more infrastructure. Delhi will be a big contender for the 2038 Olympics when it will be contested in the year 2032.
