Empowerment, not entitlement, is government policy: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman | India News
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NEW DELHI: Amid the debate over freebies, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the government is following a principle of empowerment by reaching out to all eligible citizens and seeking to ensure their basic needs are met so that they could take care of other requirements of their families.
Addressing party workers in Bangalore, she sought to make a distinction with the policy of entitlement, followed by several parties, and said the Modi government was able to reach out to every citizen and is using technology to deliver them better.
“In 75 years, we have had many governments claiming, Garibi Hatao20-Point Programme. There have been so many attempts to make the poor better — give them drinking water, providing houses. The difference is that under the PM’s leadership, we attained saturation… Every Indian deserves a certain basic facility. Given that, he starts aspiring to be better,” she said.
Sitharaman then compared it with the principle of “entitlement”, arguing that money is given to the poor without meeting their basic needs. “Why should it be like this? That’s where you respect the individual’s own ability to take care of the family and not treat him as incapable and I will give you the money and till I give you the money, you have to be beholden to me… you reach saturation to provide the facility and they (citizens) are out there to get skilled,” she said.
She said through schemes like ‘One-Nation-One-Ration Card’ and building layers over the PM Jan Dhan Yojanathe Modi government was ensuring that the basic needs were met and technology is making it possible for beneficiaries to avail of the benefits across the country and also checking leakage.
Her comments came amid attacks from AAP over freebies. While AAP members have sought to suggest that education and health were also being treated as “freebies” by BJP, Sitharaman had trashed it earlier and accused the party of giving a “perverse twist”.
She also countered criticism over public sector banks writing off loans, which the government has maintained are for accounting purposes and lenders seek to recover the money. “We had infused Rs 3.3 lakh crore to restore them to some order. Today, they are raising funds from the market and doing business profitably. We ensure that those who have cheated the banks and gone away are pursued relentlessly, their properties are auctioned, and money is given back.” Sitharaman said.
Addressing party workers in Bangalore, she sought to make a distinction with the policy of entitlement, followed by several parties, and said the Modi government was able to reach out to every citizen and is using technology to deliver them better.
“In 75 years, we have had many governments claiming, Garibi Hatao20-Point Programme. There have been so many attempts to make the poor better — give them drinking water, providing houses. The difference is that under the PM’s leadership, we attained saturation… Every Indian deserves a certain basic facility. Given that, he starts aspiring to be better,” she said.
Sitharaman then compared it with the principle of “entitlement”, arguing that money is given to the poor without meeting their basic needs. “Why should it be like this? That’s where you respect the individual’s own ability to take care of the family and not treat him as incapable and I will give you the money and till I give you the money, you have to be beholden to me… you reach saturation to provide the facility and they (citizens) are out there to get skilled,” she said.
She said through schemes like ‘One-Nation-One-Ration Card’ and building layers over the PM Jan Dhan Yojanathe Modi government was ensuring that the basic needs were met and technology is making it possible for beneficiaries to avail of the benefits across the country and also checking leakage.
Her comments came amid attacks from AAP over freebies. While AAP members have sought to suggest that education and health were also being treated as “freebies” by BJP, Sitharaman had trashed it earlier and accused the party of giving a “perverse twist”.
She also countered criticism over public sector banks writing off loans, which the government has maintained are for accounting purposes and lenders seek to recover the money. “We had infused Rs 3.3 lakh crore to restore them to some order. Today, they are raising funds from the market and doing business profitably. We ensure that those who have cheated the banks and gone away are pursued relentlessly, their properties are auctioned, and money is given back.” Sitharaman said.
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