In a conversation with The Tribune’s Ravi S Singh, the Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur expressed confidence that the Government’s spectrum of interventions to boost rural development, Labour Law reforms and Water and Sanitation will boost the living standards of people and the economy despite turbulence caused by Covid pandemic.

Q: The country has seen turbulence since CAA, what with long spells of agitation, followed by farmers’ agitation. In a country driven by groups and lobbies with vested interests, how big is the impact of the periodic agitations in the country?

A: Vested interest groups launched a misinformation campaign and attempted to mislead farmers. People with malicious intentions will never succeed in disrupting the peace and harmony of India.

The Narendra Modi government has worked for the betterment of the agricultural sector as a whole and towards the goal of doubling the farmer’s income. Since the inception of the PM-KISAN scheme, we have disbursed a total of Rs 1,35,000 crores directly into their bank accounts. This amount is higher than any loan waiver amounts that few state governments announce during their election campaigns.

We have announced record procurement of Rabi and Kharif crops during the current year. Over 432.48 LMT of Wheat has been procured which is an all-time high figure and 45.06 lakh farmers have already benefitted from the ongoing Rabi Marketing Season procurement operations with MSP value of INR 85,413 crores.

It is worth noting that this money has been directly transferred into the bank accounts of the farmers without any leakages or cuts and it is the first time this has happened in Punjab which is a historic achievement in itself.

We are also procuring record paddy with purchase of over 805.21 LMT of paddy till now with about 119.42 lakh farmers benefitting from the Kharif Marketing Season procurement operations of INR 1,52,022.37 crores.

We have also increased the existing fertiliser subsidy from INR 27,000 crores to INR 42,275 crores in FY 2021-22.

Let me add, we have been democratic with the consultation process, prior to bringing the bringing the bills in the House and also by inviting them during the recent agitations. The historic farm laws will benefit every single farmer of this nation and there are few stakeholder groups who are protesting these laws because of their sinister interests.

Q: PM’s thrust is on Rural Development with a large number of social welfare intervention schemes like Swachh Bharat-Gramin, Jal Jeevan Mission, Jan Dhan, etc. How will this overall help the economy? Can you name some States which have shown signs of progress in their economy?

A: The schemes we have announced have a major thrust on rural development and our goal is the upliftment of people out of poverty. All of our socio-economic schemes are formulated with this vision and target in mind.

Whether it is Ujjwala Yojana, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, PM Awas Yojana or the Jal Jeevan Mission, we are always striving to create better livelihood for our citizens and to bridge the gap between the classes. We have expanded job opportunities for the youth. Our cleanliness drive has created more toilets that were missing since the last 70 years. From food security to housing, from job creation to healthcare, from financial inclusion to insurance - we have adopted a holistic approach towards social welfare. Every initiative has a multiplier effect, on the individuals welfare and society as a whole. Further, it has ensured transparency, deliverability and accountability within the system.

Q: Government has rationalised the 44 labour laws into four Codes. Will this promote industrial peace as majority of the Central Trade Unions, especially Left-leaning ones says the four Codes were rushed and passed in Parliament?

A: The historic consolidation of the 44 labour laws under 4 categories was seen as a much needed and a long-pending reform. These laws were discussed thoroughly in the committee meetings and then in both houses of Parliament.

They will lead to Ease of Doing Business as the archaic labour regulations were not fit for an India Inc of the 21st Century. This will help us attract investments and we can promote India as a one- stop destination for investment, manufacturing and exports.

Q: Atmanirbahar Bharat is a mantra given by the PM. Can you please quantify and also make qualitative assessment of the implementation of PM’s call?

A: AtmaNirbhar Bharat is not just a vision but a strategic goal with a clearly defined roadmap. The reforms announced last year are in that direction, each on of them will have a multiplier effect on various sectors. Our motto of Vocal for Local aims to project Indian enterprises, entrepreneurs at the global level through their products and services.

We have begun reaping the benefits of AtmaNirbhar Bharat, even during COVID, India transformed from an importer of PPEs and masks to amongst the worlds largest exporters.

Further, we announced the creation of an Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to the tune of INR 1 lakh crore which will fund farm-gate infrastructure and aggregation points. We approved the PLI scheme in 10 key sectors with a total proposed outlay of INR 1.97 lakh crore over the next 5 years. Some of the sectors in which the PLI scheme has been started are Textiles, Electronics Manufacturing, Specialty Steel, Food Processing etc. We rolled out the Faceless Assessment Scheme which will eliminate the human interface between the taxpayer and the income-tax department

Q: The Opposition says the Government has failed to manage the Covid pandemic, especially the third wave. Is the government exchequer full enough to soak in the possible third wave of the pandemic which is predicted by experts?

A: The Opposition has first questioned India’s vaccines, then spread vaccine hesitancy, indulged in rampant wastage and later miserably failed to vaccinate the population in their respective states. Modi government has taken all measures to ensure vaccine accessibility and provided the vaccines to everyone free of cost. The growing momentum of the vaccination program will further bring normalcy and economic revival.

Along with RBI’s support, we have ensured that liquidity is not a concern for our businesses, especially MSMEs. Last week, we revised the guidelines for MSMEs with inclusion of retail and wholesale trade as MSMEs which will benefit 2.5 crore retail and wholesale traders.

Q: In your assessment, name one model of governance of Modi- dispensation which is markedly different from non-BJP government.

A: Our Government’s hallmark is transparency and accountability. Unlike the previous UPA regime, there has been no corruption in this government, projects are delivered on time and there is zero leakage. With the massive digitalisation that is underway, we have ensured various documentations are uploaded online, processed in a time bound manner and approved. The bidding process is also online now with e-tendering. Further, we have taken several steps such as geo-tagging of MGNREGA projects and linking of Jan Dhan accounts with the Aadhaar number which brings transparency to governance.

Q: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to make India a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025. Now, is the target realistic in the backdrop of a dip in the economy due to Covid lockdowns and turbulence?

A: We remain committed towards making India a US$ 5 trillion economy despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic. After the first wave hit, we bounced back remarkably and from October to April, we were showing improvement in all sectors. Even as the second wave recedes in terms of case load, we are again seeing green shoots and growth in various metrics. This is a sign of a resilient India and a testament to India’s entrepreneurial spirit and zeal.

Q: Is there any silver lining visible with regard to efforts to revive the economy?

A: Our macroeconomic indicators remain fundamentally strong and are capable of withholding any exogenous shocks. We are carrying out the universal vaccination program at a remarkable pace which will aid the economic recovery. We recorded 8 consecutive months of INR 1 lakh plus collection in the GST figures, we saw an increase of 66 per cent in the direct tax collection year on year. The demand of power, automobiles, steel all show an uptick and I am confident of India’s recovery to be quick and buoyant.

Q: There are upcoming crucial elections, including UP and Punjab.What are BJP’s prospects, and why?

A: Our prospects look extremely promising in the upcoming elections. Especially the way in which the Hon’ble CM of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath ji has handled the pandemic situation in the second wave.