India — The pandemic did not deter the government to take up reforms which will ensure sustained growth of the economy of the country, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday in her reply to the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.
“The budget combines stimulus with reforms and has an element to provide impetus to make India one of the top economies of the world in the coming decades. The budget took a courageous approach,” the finance minister said.
Attacking the tradition of India’s post-Independence ‘licence quota raj’ Sitharaman said, “This budget draws on the experience of Prime Minister when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. He saw how licence raj constricted India’s economy.”
Since Jan Sangh days, respecting India’s entrepreneur skill and India’s taxpayers has been followed, Nirmala Sitharaman said amid resistance from opposition leaders that the reference to Jan Sangh was irrelevant. “It is relevant as it was the precursor of the BJP,” Sitharaman said.