Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha on Friday.Parliament Live Updates: In her reply to the Budget discussion in the parliament, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said that post-pandemic economies have suffered all over the world and the Union Budget 2021 was an attempt to provide a “strong stimulus” to deal with this situation. In doing so, she says, not only quick short term solutions were created, but “we also looked at medium, long term and sustainable growth that will help us remain one of the fastest-growing economies.”
Sitharaman highlighted the swift response in providing a relief package post covid. She also said that “ building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat actually represents the aspirations of 130 crore people of this country.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi resigned during his speech in Rajya Sabha saying that he feels “suffocated” as he is not being able to do anything of the ground situation in Bengal despite being a parliamentarian. “I am grateful for my party, but I feel suffocated as I am not able to do anything when there is the violence happening in my state, Trivedi said.
Speaking during the Budget Session in Rajya Sabha on Friday BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnaw hailed the 2021 Budget as the most honest and realistic budget in a very long time. Vaishnaw also said that it struck the right balance between “consumption and investment.” Vaishnaw was responding to Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s remark on the Budget being for the “rich” and heavily “supply-driven.”
In the house today, opposition parties including the Congress and AAP slammed Centre for its Budget and over the farmers’ agitation. Speeches from different opposition members triggered reactions from BJP MPs causing chaos in the parliament. While opposition wanted farmers’ protests to take limelight, BJP tried the focus to stay on Budget discussions.
On the last day of the first leg of Parliament’s Budget Session 2021, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reply to the house on Friday. The next Parliament session for this year’s Budget will reconvene on March 8.
New Delhi: Opposition leaders stage a protest in Lok Sabha during the Budget Session of the Parliament, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. (LSTV/PTI Photo)(PTI02_03_2021_000195B)
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge will be the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, succeeding Ghulam Nabi Azad whose tenure comes to an end on Monday, PTI reported.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu for appointing Kharge to the post as Azad is retiring.
Azad was elected to the Upper House from Jammu and Kashmir, which does not have an assembly currently after it was made a Union Territory with the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
The BJP defended the union budget in the Rajya Sabha on Friday saying it is pragmatic, provides relief to the poor and unemployed and aims at economic recovery as well as financial reforms.
The BJP said the budget takes care of all sections of society and has earmarked funds for all including strengthening of the health sector.
Participating in the debate on the Union budget in the Upper House of Parliament, BJP leader and union minister Anurag Thakur attacked opposition parties, alleging that they were using farmers for their political gains and asserted that the three new farm laws will help in doubling the incomes of peasants.
He challenged the opposition leaders to show him if any of the three laws say that the regime of mandis and MSP would come to an end due to the legislation. "We are committed to double the income of the farmers," Thakur said.
Bhupendra Yadav (BJP) lauded the government for providing over Rs 27.1 lakh crore, which is 13 per cent of GDP, under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' programme in three financial packages. (PTI)
Lok Sabha will sit Saturday from@10 am to 5 pm, say sources. Rajya Sabha had already cancelled Saturday sitting and is adjourned until March 08.
BJP Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal has moved Privilege Motion Notice against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, citing 'serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House on 11th February 2021'.
"There comes a moment in every human's life when they have to make a decision after a long contemplation...When there's a lot of violence & corruption...I've always raised my voice against violence. What I'm saying today isn't new," Dinesh Trivedi said after resigning as TMC MP in the Rajya Sabha.
Criticising the budget introduced recently by the Central government as favouring the rich, AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Friday accused the ruling dispensation of "selling the whole of the country".
"This Budget is to sell India's assets... You are selling Rail, Sail, ...Coal, LIC, banks, airports, ports, FCI, power, water, road, BPCL. You are selling whole of Hindustan," Singh said in the Rajya Sabha while participating in the debate on the Budget.
He said these are the country's assets created by 130 crore Indians and not private property that could be sold.
"PM Narendra Modi made a mockery of the farmers who are on agitation for 75 days by calling them 'andolanjeevi'. As many as 175 have died," Singh said, adding that calling farmers "andolanjeevi" is a insult to the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Rammanhoar Lohia, Shahid Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar.
"We are proud of revolutionaries ... we are proud of the 'andolanjeevis'...They are not 'bhashanjeevis'," he said. (PTI)
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till March 08.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is responsible for removing all ills from MNERGA and it was under the BJP that the scheme was effectively utilised. “We have overseen the highest ever utilisation at Rs 90.469 crore of the rural employment scheme, Sitharaman added.
Highlighting the “obvious steps” taken for the poor, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that it has now become a sort of habit for some in the Opposition to constantly allege, in spite of what we are doing for the poor, that this government only works for the rich. ”Over 1.67 cr houses completed under PM Awas Yojana. Over 2.67 cr households have electrified under PM Saubhagya Yojana since October,” Sitharaman added highlighting the false narratives circulated by the opposition.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said that a much needed post Covid relief was distinctly provided in the Union budget 2021, and this was immediate, Sitharaman added. Siting examples of the relife, she said” 800 million people were provided free food grains, free cooking gas was given to 80 million people and direct cash transfers were given to 400 millon people including farmers, women and poor and needy.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said that the Union Budget 2021 has been carefully thought after listening to views, suggestions and opinions from experts and economists around the country and the world. Sithraman said that “ building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat actually represents the aspirations of 130 crore people of this country.”
“Over two thirds of this population are youth looking for opportunities," Sitharaman highlighted. "The Budget was aimed at not only giving relief packages but creating opportunities for employment," she added.
In her reply to the Budget discussions in the parliament, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that post pandemic economies have suffered all over the world and the Union Budget 2021 was an attempt to provide a “strong stimulus” to deal with this situation. In doing so, she says, not only quick short term solutions were created, “we also looked at medium, long term and sustainable growth that will help us remain one of the fastest growing economies.”
In her reply to the Budget discussions in the parliament, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Budget speaks for itself and is the instrument through which Aatmanirbhar Bharat is to be attained.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has begun her reply speech to the Budget Session 2021
BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Friday said that the opposition is building fake narratives and spreading lies about the situation of the economy under the BJP regime. “They can’t succeed in their fake narratives, as they are all lies,” Rao added. “They claim that there is unemployment, according to the CMI report of January 2021, unemployment in Jan was 6.53 %, much better than before Covid,” Rao further highlighted.
All India Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi on Friday gave his resignation during his speech in Rajya Sabha saying that he feels “suffocated” due to not being able to do anything of the ground situation in Bengal despite being a parliamentarian. “I am grateful for my party, but feel suffocated as I am not able to do anything when there is violence happening in my state, Trivedi said.
“If despite being a parliamentarian and sitting here I am unable to express myself and do something about what is happening in my state, it's better to not be here and give my resignation,” Trivedi added.
BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Budget struck the right balance between “consumption and investment” and provided a good space for long term growth. Vaishnaw was responding to former finance minister Chidambaram’s remark of the Budget being heavily “supply driven.”
BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnaw hailed the 2021 Budget as the most honest and realistic budget in a very long time. Responding to Former Finance Minister P Chidambaran’s remarks, Vaishnaw said that the Budget focused on the poor and listed schemes like PM Kisan Yojna to make his point. Vaishnaw also claimed that the Budget was appreciated globally.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh termed Union Budget 2021 a budget to sell the country and its wealth. “India’s wealth does not belong to the government, but the people of the country, the centre is trying to sell the country, '' Singh added.
Singh also slammed Prime Minister Modi for mocking the farmers in the parliament. By humiliating protesting farmers, Singh said, you are insulting Mahatma Gandhi and all the other freedom fighters who protested for this nation’s freedom.
Singh's speech invoked reactions from the BJP MPs in the parliament.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Shaktisinh Gohil said that amid challenging times due to coronavirus, people anticipated for a helpful Budget, but Budget 2021 has “taken all hopes away.” “If you earn you pay tax, if you spend you pay tax,” Gohil added.