Manmohan promises more reforms in Budget

February 16, 2011 12:05 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 03:42 am IST - New Delhi

Stressing that the government has not given up on reforms, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said more reforms will be unveiled in the 2011-12 Budget, but blamed the Opposition for delaying the introduction of crucial Bills in Parliament.

“No, we have not given up on reforms. We will persist... I sincerely hope in the (upcoming) Budget we will see a clearer picture of the reform agenda,” Dr. Singh told editors of the electronic media.

He, however, blamed the Opposition, particularly the BJP, for not allowing Parliament to function, thereby delaying the introduction of more reforms.

Dr. Singh blamed the Opposition for the delay in introduction of the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Service Tax, saying, “When the Parliament is not allowed to function, when the Opposition do not wish to cooperate with the path-breaking reforms of Goods and Services Tax (GST)... This is a reform which is needed.”

The Opposition, “particularly the BJP, has taken a very hostile attitude,” he added.

He reiterated that the government has been working on a host of reform initiatives, some of which have already been successful.

“We are working on a Food Security Bill, the Right to Education is now a reality... The ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) is a reality... and also the National Rural Health Mission,” Dr. Singh said.

He further said: “In the same way, I believe we are going to have a fresh wave of infrastructure investment with the help of PPP (public-private partnership) model.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.