A man watches FM Nirmala Sitharaman read her Budget speech at an electronic shop in Mumbai, on Feb. 1, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Government will come out with a White Paper on the mismanagement of economy prior to 2014 with an aim to draw lessons. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA came to power in May 2014 after a 10-year rule by Congress-led UPA at the Centre.

“It is now appropriate to look at where we were then till 2014 and where we are now, only for the purpose of drawing lessons from the mismanagement of those years. The Government will lay a White Paper on table of the House,” she announced while presenting the interim Budget for the next financial year on Feb 1.

She said in 2014 when the Modi Government assumed the reins, the responsibility to mend the economy step by step and to put the governance systems in order was enormous. The need of the hour, she said, was to give hope to the people, to attract investments, and to build support for the much-needed reforms. “The government did that successfully following our strong belief of ‘nation-first’,” Ms. Sitharaman said.

Also read: Interim Budget 2024 Live

She further said the crisis of those years has been overcome, and the economy has been put firmly on a high sustainable growth path with all-round development.

Ms. Sitharaman began her nearly an hour long Budget speech emphasising that the Indian economy has witnessed profound positive transformation in the last ten years. The people of India are looking ahead to the future with hope and optimism, she said.

“With the blessings of the people, when our Government under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, the country was facing enormous challenges,” the Minister said.

Ms. Sitharaman, who was presenting her sixth Budget, said that with ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ as its ‘mantra’, the government overcame those challenges in right earnest. Structural reforms were undertaken, pro-people programmes were formulated and implemented promptly, and conditions were created for more opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.

“The economy got a new vigour. The fruits of development started reaching the people at scale. The country got a new sense of purpose and hope. Naturally, the people blessed the government with a bigger mandate (2019),” she added.

With the ‘whole of nation’ approach of Sabka Prayas, Ms. Sitharaman said the country overcame the challenge of a once-in-a-century pandemic, took long strides towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, committed to Panch Pran, and laid solid foundations for the Amrit Kaal.

“We expect that our Government, based on its stupendous work, will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate,” the Minister said. The general elections to elect the next Lok Sabha are likely to be held in April-May this year.

Krishna , Andhra Pradesh:

Actor-turned-politician and JanaSena Party (JSP) President, K Pawan Kalyan, on Thursday dismissed the speculations over his exit from the NDA to support the TDP, saying that he will announce any decision to leave when necessary.

Pawan Kalyan also took a swipe at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, asking him to focus on his party and the upcoming elections.

“I will let you know Jagan and other YSRCP leaders before I come out of the NDA. You should take care of your party and think how to score 175/175 positions in the upcoming polls,” Pawan Kalyan said while addressing the ‘Varahi Yatra’ held in Mudinepalli Mandal of Krishna district.

“I have the phone numbers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah. I will let you know if I come out from the NDA bloc”, the JSP chief added.

This comes after Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday offered all-out support to the TDP and jailed supremo Chandrababu Naidu.

Mr Kalyan said that the TDP is needed for good governance and development of Andhra Pradesh.

“TDP is a strong party and Andhra Pradesh needs the Telugu Desam Party for good governance, for the development of the state. Today TDP is in a struggle we will support them. TDP needs Janasaink’s young blood support in this situation. If TDP and Janasena join hands YSRCP will be submerged in the state,” Pavan Kalyan said while addressing a public meeting in Krishna district’s Pedana on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Pawan Kalyan-led JanaSena Party clarified that the actor and politician is not leaving the NDA but is supporting the Telugu Desam in its time of need.

The party said that Pawan Kalyan in his speech in Krishna district did not say that he was leaving NDA.

“Pawan Kalyan said, though I’m in NDA, I’m coming out to say that we will support the TDP as they are weak now, this does not mean that he is leaving NDA, it means that despite being a part of NDA, Kalyan will support TDP as they are weak now,” said Bolisetty Satyanarayana, State General Secretary, and spokesperson of the JanaSena Party.

“So I want to clarify this to the people that we are very much with NDA, and we are going to be with TDP also. We’re with TDP as its experience is needed to throw Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) out from Andhra Pradesh,” the JSP spokesperson added.

On September 14, Pawan Kalyan visited Chandrababu Naidu in the Rajahmundry Central Jail where the latter has been lodged after he was sent to Judicial custody in a ‘skill development scam’ case.

JSP chief Pawan Kalyan had also attended a meeting of the NDA held in Delhi on July 18. Sources say that Pawan Kalyan had also proposed an alliance of TDP, BJP, and his party in Andhra Pradesh to fight YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP. The BJP has yet to take a decision on this.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)