President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Monday, which marked the beginning of the Budget session, appealed to all MPs to “discharge their solemn responsibility in a spirit of cooperation and mutual accommodation.” He underscored the government’s commitment to protect farmers’ interests in the controversial Land Acquisition Act and spoke about the significance of the Insurance Ordinance.
Indeed, even as the President said the government had “suitably refined” the Land Act to minimise certain procedural difficulties in acquisitions for critical public projects, he stressed that it attached paramount importance to safeguarding the interest of farmers and families affected by such acquisitions.
The Insurance Ordinance, the President said, would “enhance capital availability and ensure better access to insurance services.” The theme running through the President’s hour-long speech was “inclusive growth,” including the progress of the most- vulnerable sections.
