NDA govt brought in fundamental change under PM Modi: Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the ruling NDA has brought in a fundamental change at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi through its developmental schemes. Speaking at an event here, Sitharaman said India is on the progressive path even as several developed countries were under the threat of falling into a recession, while the nation's growth was pegged at 7.2 per cent. "Several leaders were opposing schemes like the Jan Dhan Yojana, asking how it is possible to deposit funds into their accounts (like poor and downtrodden). Today, there's a balance of Rs 1.60 lakh crore in the accounts opened under the scheme," Sitharaman said, after releasing a book titled 'Modi@20 Dreams to Delivery.'

Sitharaman also flayed a senior political leader from Tamil Nadu for often criticising the Centre's Jan Dhan scheme, wondering how it would work.

"He talks in English and says it is not possible to deposit funds into those accounts. We have a deposit of Rs 1.60 lakh crore in those accounts sir. What you want to say now?" she asked without naming anyone.

"He (Prime minister Narendra Modi) has shaken up the governance through the developmental schemes and often says he has come to power to change the fundamentals and not for the sake of assuming power," she said.