New Delhi: Hours after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first paperless Budget 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday praise the Budget 2021 and said it has the vision of self-reliance and features every section of the society.
He also said that the Budget 2021 shows India’s confidence and will instil self-confidence in the world. “Today’s Budget shows India’s confidence and will instil self-confidence in the world. The Budget has the vision of self-reliance and features every section of the society,” PM Modi said.
Saying that the Budget 2021-22 has been presented amid unprecedented circumstances, PM Modi said that the budget emphasizes on increasing the ease of living in the lives of common people by simplifying rules and procedures.
“The government, while keeping in sync with fiscal sustainability, stressed on increasing the Budget size, and did not put pressure on the citizens. Our govt has always tried to keep the budget transparent,” he added.
Congratulating FM Nirmala Sitharaman and her team on this Budget 2021, PM Modi stated that the Budget 2021 will bring several positive changes for individuals, investors, industry and infrastructure sector.
From Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reading out her 110-minute speech from a tablet to seating arrangements in tune with pandemic times, there were quite a few firsts during the presentation of the 2021-22 Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Also, for the first time, the Budget went paperless and members were provided soft copies of the speech and documents.
Reading out her third straight Union Budget speech from a tablet, the minister quoted from works of Rabindranath Tagore and Tamil classic Thirukkural while some Opposition members made certain remarks during the speech.
Many of the Budget announcements, including some related to taxation, were greeted with thumping of desk by the ruling party members.
Amid the ongoing farmers’ protests against the three new farm laws, Shiromani Akali Dal leaders — Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal — along with RLP’s Hanuman Beniwal sought to raise the matter. They were seen holding posters demanding that the Centre take back the ‘black’ laws. All of them, who were till recently part of the ruling NDA, stood in the aisle for a few minutes and later walked out of the House soon after the finance minister started her speech.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and various other people from the Opposition were present in the House. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was absent.