Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media at Parliament House on the first day of budget session in New Delhi on January 31, 2023
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
On the eve of the presentation of the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the unstable global economic outlook and said that India’s budget would attempt to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common citizens and that the whole world’s was looking at it with hope.
PM Modi was making his customary remarks at the beginning of the parliamentary session which kicked off with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint Houses of Parliament.
“Amid the unstable global economic situation, India’s budget will attempt to meet the hopes and aspirations of the common citizens, the ray of hope being seen by the world glows brighter-for this, I firmly believe that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will make all efforts to meet those aspirations,” PM Modi said while addressing the media.
He cited “credible voices” from “the world of economy” and said that these had brought positive thoughts ahead of the session, a reference perhaps to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath’s tweet that India was to remain the fastest growing large economy in 2023 and 2024.
He also said that President Murmu’s maiden address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament was a matter of pride with respect to the Constitution of India, for women’s empowerment that a daughter of India’s tribal community was taking her place at the top.
He also said Ms. Sitharaman, another woman as Finance Minister, would be presenting the budget yet again, another strike with regard to women’s empowerment.
“Our Finance Minister is a woman too. She will present one more budget before the country tomorrow. In today’s global circumstances, not only India but the entire world is looking at India’s budget,” said Prime Minister Modi.
The first part of the Budget Session, which began on Jan. 31 will conclude on February 13. Parliament will reconvene on March 12 for the second part of the session and will conclude on April 6th.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the last full-fledged Union Budget of the Modi government before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on February 1. The Economic Survey will be tabled on January 31 after the President’s address.
The first part of Budget Session of the Parliament will go on till February 10. The Parliament will reconvene on March 12 and go on till April 6.
