Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2024 in Parliament. Minutes after presenting the budget, the Congress accused the Center of saying that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read out part of the financial document from the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.
In this regard, former finance minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, while speaking, said that the Union Finance Minister was happy to “implement the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) as outlined on page 30 of the Congress report”.
“I am happy to know that after the election results, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read the Congress manifesto LS 2024. I am happy that he has introduced the training scheme with incentives for every trainee mentioned on page 11 of the Congress report. I will soon list the missed opportunities,” said p. Chidambaram said.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech announced that the government will provide one month’s salary to all employees working in all formal sectors. He said direct benefit transfer of one month’s salary up to Rs 15,000 in three installments to the first employees enrolled in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). Eligibility limit per month is Rs. 1 lakh, the scheme is likely to benefit 210 lakh youth in the country.
Congress MP and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said Nirmala Sitharaman had “taken a leaf out” of the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. “Finance Minister has taken a leaf from the Indian National Congress’s Nyai Patra 2024, whose internship program was called Behli Naukri Pakhi, a training program proposed by the Congress.
However, in their trademark style, the scheme is designed to grab headlines with arbitrary targets (1 crore jobs) rather than a scheme guarantee for all diploma holders and graduates as envisioned by the Indian National Congress,” he said.
Criticizing the government over the special package for Andhra Pradesh, Jairam said, “Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a special package of Rs 15,000 crore for Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget, which will also help develop the state’s Chief Minister Santababu Naidu’s dream project of Amaravati.”
“Why did it take 10 years to implement what was already promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014?” Jairam asked in his X website reply.
