BENGALURU: Amid debates over what constitutes freebies, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman here on Saturday wished that such deliberations would come to a conclusion as certain welfare schemes under health and education sectors cannot be termed freebies. Promising tough action against financial fraudsters who cheat banks and run away, she said, “We are ensuring that those who have cheated the banks and have gone away are pursued relentlessly, their properties are auctioned and money is given back to the banks,” she said.
During an interaction after releasing a souvenir, Vishwaguru Bharat -- brought out by the Economic Cell of the Karnataka BJP, Sitharaman, in a way, defended welfare schemes for the poor, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reaching out to all eligible families across the country. “The governments have their own responsibilities to ensure good education and healthcare for the poor. Any attempt to undermine or dilute the debate is a disservice to the country. Education is a freebie is an irresponsible statement,” she asserted.
On offering freebies, especially electricity, ahead of polls, she cautioned that it should be done with a clear understanding of the fiscal strength of a particular state. “After victory, make it a budgetary provision so that you pay the electricity generation and distribution companies. Otherwise, you will be a burden on future generations,” she added.
On inflation coming down to 6.7 per cent, she hoped that it would go down further. Imports of fossil fuel, gold and fertilisers have been contributing to the inflation, she claimed. Listing out the achievements of the Modi government, she said digitalisation of the economy has been revolutionary. “Digital transactions of over Rs 10.5 lakh crore have been recorded and the trend has been similar for the past few months,” she said.
Farmers are losing money, but customers too are not benefiting. This is a dilemma that has to be addressed by the government, she added. “The Centre has attained saturation in reaching out the benefits as the schemes, especially Jan Dhan, have covered all the eligible beneficiaries. We have an empowerment, instead of entitlement approach. Over 45 per cent of self-employed are women as they have been empowered with loans,” she said.