Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharman on Thursday said that the government is making sure that fiscal deficit is managed without hurting any projects. (Photo: Twitter)
New Delhi: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharman on Thursday said that the government is making sure that fiscal deficit is managed without hurting any projects. “The debt management is being done in such a way that we honour the glide path for fiscal deficit given in 2021. Besides, no major flagship programme has been curtailed, nor have I reduced allocation in the interim Budget,” she said, while replying to the general discussion on the Interim Union Budget 2024-25, Finance Bill 2024 and the Interim Budget of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, 2024–25 in Rajya Sabha.
The finance minister also highlighted the interim budget, saying that it is the emphasis given by the government on capital expenditure and sustaining pace of economic growth. “The capital expenditure for creation of public infrastructure is growing faster than real GDP growth. With the capital expenditure being in the focus, in the last 3-4 years, we have made sure that our debt management is done in such a way that we honour the glide path for fiscal deficit that we had given in 2021,” she said.
She also emphasised that money spent on capital expenditure gives return compared to revenue expenditure. “So public investment in infrastructure gives us greater returns,” adding that the government is making sure that fiscal deficit is managed without hurting any projects.
As far as the job scenario is concerned in the country, the finance minister also highlighted that in rural areas, unemployment rate has decreased from 5.3 per cent in 2017 to 2.4 per cent in 2023. "Besides, the global hunger index is not a balanced approach to measure hunger, let's be conscious of it.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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