Budget 2018 is “farmer friendly, common man-friendly, business environment-friendly and development-friendly”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley completed his speech in Parliament on Thursday.
“I congratulate the finance minister and his team for presenting a Budget that will help strengthen the government’s vision for a ‘New India,’” Modi said, adding that it will add to both “ease of living” and “ease of doing business”. “This budget has devoted attention to all sectors, ranging from agriculture to infrastructure, and will accelerate economic growth.”
The prime minister praised the Finance Ministry’s decision to raise the minimum support price for a majority of crops to 1.5 times the production cost. “I am sure it will help the farmers tremendously,” he said.
Modi highlighted some of the key announcements Jaitley made during his Budget speech in Parliament. “From food processing to fiber optics, roads to shipping, youth to senior citizen, rural India to Ayushmaan Bharat, Digital India to Start Up India, this Budget strengthens the hopes and aspirations of crores of Indians,” he said. “Farmers, Dalits and tribal communities will all gain from the Budget, which will create new opportunities for rural India.”
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