Nirmala Sitharaman rebuts Oppn criticism over Budget

On Tuesday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman robustly defended the 2024-25 Budget in the Lok Sabha, countering the Opposition’s allegations that the Budget favors only Bihar and Andhra Pradesh while neglecting other states. Addressing these accusations, Sitharaman accused the Opposition of spreading misleading claims and clarified the allocation process in her detailed response.Nirmala Sitharaman criticized the Opposition for asserting that the Budget exclusively favored Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. She emphasized that just because a state is not mentioned explicitly in the Budget speech, it does not imply that it has been overlooked in funding allocations.Drawing on historical precedents, Nirmala Sitharaman noted that past Budgets, including those during the UPA government, often did not mention every state by name. She pointed out that the UPA Budgets from 2004-2005 through 2007-2008 also omitted several states in their speeches. Specifically, she mentioned the 2004-2005 Budget, which did not name 17 states. “Did money not go to those 17 states?” she asked, challenging the Opposition to reflect on their past practices.She reassured the Lok Sabha that all states receive their due share of funds regardless of whether they are explicitly mentioned in the Budget speech. She stressed the importance of understanding the allocation process, which is detailed in the budget documents and executed through various ministries and schemes.The Finance Minister elaborated on the transparency and inclusivity of the allocation process, highlighting that funds are distributed based on needs, proposals, and developmental priorities rather than arbitrary selections. This ensures a balanced development approach across the country.The Opposition had raised concerns that the Budget was skewed in favor of specific states, creating an imbalance in resource distribution. They argued that the selective mention of states in the Budget speech indicated preferential treat