The people’s faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unwavering and this gave the government the confidence to focus on maintaining fiscal discipline without reducing the allocation for welfare schemes, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.
In her first post-Budget interview to a private channel, Ms Sitharaman told NDTV that people who attend the PM’s programmes say that they have got houses and benefits from other schemes, and also appreciate the fact that they receive the exact amounts promised by the government straight in their bank accounts.
Speaking a day after presenting the Interim Budget, the Finance Minister said in Hindi, “We are confident because, in the last 10 years, we have consistently launched schemes that benefit the people. And we don’t just launch the schemes, we ensure that the benefits reach the last person in the queue… During the PM’s programmes, the beneficiaries come to us and tell us themselves that they have got houses, electricity, tap water and that if we promise them Rs 1,000, for instance, the entire amount is credited directly into their accounts.”
“This is why we are confident that we have got the people’s blessings twice and will get it again. The people’s confidence in Prime Minister Modi is unshakeable and that gives us confidence,” she added.
The finance minister said the Prime Minister had advised her that this is a vote on account and that consultations should be held before the full Budget in July. She said he told her to give a complete account in the Budget statement and speak about how fiscal discipline was maintained without cutting any allocations for welfare schemes.
