As country eagerly awaits NDA Government’s first “proper” Budget, President Pranab Mukherjee tried to give a feel good feeling with regard to the nine months that have gone by, and the year that lies ahead. While addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session, Mukherjee highlighted efforts by the Government to control inflation and bring economy back on track, push skill development and manufacturing in India to generate employment, and build up international relations. He also listed out steps taken by the NDA Government in the last nine months for financial inclusion, cleanliness campaign and measures to unearth black money both internally and outside.
“Measures have been initiated to stir action in a range of fields from sanitation to smart cities, poverty elimination to creation of wealth, skill development to conquering space, tapping demographic dividend to diplomatic initiatives, enhancing ease of doing business to putting in place a stable policy framework, empowering individuals to ensuring quality infrastructure, ending financial untouchability to making the country a manufacturing hub, containing inflation to stimulating economy, igniting minds to ensuring inclusive growth, promoting cooperative federalism to encouraging a competitive spirit among the States. A strong beginning has been made. A promising future awaits us,” Mukherjee summed up.
During his speech, the President sought support from Opposition parties in functioning of Parliament and the passage of Bills, saying the Government will constantly endeavour for smooth conduct of legislative business and enactment of progressive laws in Parliament. He urged MPs to discharge their responsibility “in a spirit of cooperation and mutual accommodation.” The Opposition is geared up to corner Government on land Ordinance and just a few metres away from Parliament, activists Anna Hazare sounded the bugle of challenge.
The President tried to allay fears with regard to land Acquisition Bill/Ordinance, saying interest of farmers and families affected by land acquisition is paramount for the Government. “While taking utmost care to protect the interest of farmers, including their compensation entitlements, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, has been suitably refined to minimise certain procedural difficulties in acquisition of land inevitably required for critical public projects of infrastructure and for creation of basic amenities like rural housing, schools and hospitals, particularly in remote areas,” Mukherjee said.
He mentioned terrorism and leftwing extremism as a grave challenge to the internal security and asserted the Government was committed to dealing with these challenges in cohesive collaboration with the affected people and State Governments in a holistic manner.
On foreign policy, Mukherjee said the Government has reinvigorated relations with neighbours. “We speak clearly about our interests and are fully prepared to defend our borders and secure our people,” he added. The President summed the plan for the year which includes deepen cooperation with Europe, West Asia, Central Asia, Africa, South America, and Japan while being active on Act-East-Policy, which is anchored in relations with Southeast Asia and extends to Australia and the Pacific Islands.
On economy, the President said India has emerged as one of the fastest growing large economy with an estimated 7.4 per cent growth rate in 2014-15. “Inflation, food inflation in particular, is at a record low due to a number of decisive measures taken by the Government…Financial sector institutional restructuring is a priority area,” he said.
On coal and mining issues, Mukherjee said swift and timely action taken by the Government prevented the closure of mines which otherwise would have rendered thousands jobless. He also said this will help reduce power costs in the country, provide adequate fuel to increase power generation, enhance production of steel, cement, aluminium and other essential materials.