New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Interim Budget 2024, marking the last budget of Modi 2.0 government. This budget is deemed as an economic manifesto for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In her speech, FM Sitharaman emphasized the priority of providing timely and adequate financial assistance to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). She announced plans to offer training to MSMEs, enabling them to compete globally. Sitharaman expressed optimism about the next five years, envisioning unprecedented development leading to a developed India by 2047.
Highlighting achievements, she noted that the BJP government has assisted 25 crore people in overcoming multidimensional poverty in the last decade. Sitharaman also outlined a provision of ₹75,000 crores as a 50-year interest-free loan for state governments to support milestone-linked reforms.
The Finance Minister articulated the need for growth and development-enabling reforms for ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India). She referred to the recently announced India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor as a game-changer and praised the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) for creating a robust gateway for overseas capital.
Sitharaman’s budget speech underscored the BJP government’s commitment to inclusive development, citing tax reforms that have widened the tax base. She expressed hope that these policies would secure the BJP’s return to power for the third consecutive term.
For a comprehensive summary of Sitharaman’s Budget speech, download [here](#).
