New Delhi: Elections keep happening but Parliament’s Budget session is very important as it draws a blueprint for the entire year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday and urged all MPs to make it fruitful by holding discussions with an “open mind”.
Addressing the media ahead of the start of the session, Modi said it is true that because of frequent elections, sessions and discussions get affected but elections have their own place and will keep happening, and hoped that there are discussions that are free, thoughtful, full of human sensitivities, and with good intent.
There are many opportunities for India in today’s global situation and asserted that the country’s economic progress, vaccination program against COVID-19, and India-made vaccines have built trust for it across the globe, he said.
In this budget session also the “open-minded” discussions of parliamentarians can become an important opportunity for making a global impact, the Prime Minister said.
“I hope that all MPs and all political parties will definitely help in taking the country on the path of progress and in accelerating it by having quality discussions with an open mind,” he said.
Modi further said,”…I urge all members of Parliament that elections have their own place and will keep happening… this budget session in a way draws a blueprint for an entire year and therefore, it is very important.”
The more fruitful we make this session with full commitment, there will be a big opportunity in the coming year to take the country to new economic heights, he said.
The session comes ahead of assembly polls from February 10 to March 7 in five states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Goa. The counting of votes would take place on March 10.
The session of Parliament is likely to be stormy with opposition parties all geared up to raise farmers’ issues and the border row with China.
The opposition is also preparing to unitedly take on the government on the Pegasus snooping row after the New York Times claimed that India purchased the snooping spyware as part of a defence deal with Israel in 2017.
Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has already written to Speaker Om Birla for moving a privilege motion against the government and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for “misleading” the House, as the government had denied the charges of “spying” in a statement in Parliament last year.
Role of women expanding, women commissions need to widen scope of work: PM
Noting that the role of women in the society is continuously expanding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the women commissions will have to increase their scope of work and give a new direction to the women of their states.
Speaking on the occasion of the 30th foundation day of the National Commission for Women (NCW), the prime minister said the participation of women in the growth cycle of a “new India” is increasing continuously and the commissions should also promote the role of women in entrepreneurship as much as possible.
“Today, the role of women is continuously expanding, so all women’s commissions will also have to increase their scope of work and give a new direction to the women of their states,” he said.
Modi also said people with old thinking considered the skills of women as a matter of domestic work but it is necessary to change this mentality to bolster the country’s economy.
Taking a swipe at the previous governments, he said those who did not give priority to women safety, women did not hesitate to remove them from power.
Highlighting the steps taken by his government toward women empowerment, Modi said both the Make in India and the Self-reliant India initiatives are utilising the skills of women for the country’s progress.
With 26 weeks, he said India is one of the countries that give maximum maternity leave to women.
“About 70 per cent beneficiaries under the Mudra Yojana are women and crores of women have started their business using the scheme,” the prime minister said.
