The Rajya Sabha today returned the Central government’s Appropriation Bills for 2020- 21 and 2021-22, after minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur told the House that fiscal deficit had fallen and would remain under control.
The House discussed the Budgets of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry also and returned Appropriation Bills for them for the current and the coming financial year. The Puducherry Bill for 2021- 22 would cover expenditure for a part of the year.
Several members complained during the discussions that the government claimed not to have raised taxes but prices of petrol, diesel and gas had risen substantially, putting burden on the common man.
Thakur said the fiscal deficit of the government had fallen from 5.4 per cent to 3.5 per cent and the government was following a plan to keep it under control.
The Goods and Service Tax (GST) collections were up following steps taken by the government.
He said the UPA government, too, had its plans to disinvest in the public sector units but could not do much. Thakur said the corporate tax was reduced with a view to encourage Make in India. The government steps like productivity linked bonus for manufacturing would yield results. India had become the second largest producer of mobiles.
The minister said Defence expenditure had taken care of bullet proof jackets, Rafale jets, tanks and helicopters. The farmers were provided fertilisers with ease, and Rs 6000 paid to needy farmers in three instalments a year.
The MGNREGA budget during the UPA’s rule was Rs 30000 crore and it had risen to Rs 1.10 lakh crore now.
BSNL and banks were helped to be financial strong. Jammu and Kashmir had elections at several lower levels from sarpanches and was given funds to recover financially.
Three thousand Kashmiri Pandits were resettled, 44000 were getting Rs 13000 per month and 6000 more would get houses.
The Puducherry expenditure would cover the period till the coming elections in the Union Territory.