Ajay Rai and Priyanka Chaturvedi Discuss Inflation and Unemployment in Upcoming Union Budget 2024-25
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 23: Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai has highlighted the need to address inflation, especially the rising prices of essential items and life-saving drugs, in the Union Budget 2024-25. Rai emphasized the expectations of the middle class, stating, “In this budget, inflation should be controlled. The price of garlic is Rs 500 per kg, and the prices of vegetables and medicines have gone up. The price of life-saving drugs has increased. Employment opportunities also need to be generated. All these factors need to be worked upon.”
Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s (UBT) faction leader, Priyanka Chaturvedi, shared similar views, urging the finance minister to focus on tackling unemployment and inflation. Chaturvedi said, “I hope Nirmala Sitharaman ji will provide some relief from rising inflation and unemployment, and the government will talk about ‘Jan ki baat’ and not the PM’s ‘mann ki baat.'”
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader TKS Elangovan expressed disappointment with the unfulfilled promises of the last six budgets, stating, “What they did in the first ten years, they will continue because Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting her 7th budget.” Elangovan also highlighted the issue of income inequality, adding, “Their budget exercise is only for some of the rich people in this country, not for the poor. The NSSO has several times stated that domestic consumption has gone down. Poor people, BPL families, and middle-income people could not purchase anything. But this government has waived loans for very rich people, amounting to thousands of crores. They need money to support the rich people who have failed in their industrial processes. That is what this budget is for, and this government is for.”
Meanwhile, the Congress party held a strategy group meeting at Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s residence on Monday to discuss the issues to be raised in parliament during the budget session. The meeting took place at around 6 pm.
Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2024 in Parliament today, marking her seventh consecutive budget. This budget is expected to focus on changes in the income tax structure and improving the ease of doing business in India. The Budget Session of Parliament, which started on Monday, will include 16 sittings over 22 days. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2023-24 in Parliament on Monday, a day ahead of the Union Budget. This will be the first full budget of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in its third term. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju mentioned that this session will mainly focus on the financial business related to the Union Budget for 2024-25, which will be presented in Lok Sabha on July 23. The government’s agenda also includes some bills for consideration and passage. The opposition parties are planning to challenge the government on various issues, including the NEET-UG row and the police directive on the Kanwar Yatra route.
Doubts Revealed
Ajay Rai -: Ajay Rai is a politician from Uttar Pradesh, a state in India. He is the President of the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Chaturvedi -: Priyanka Chaturvedi is a leader from Shiv Sena UBT, a political party in India. She is known for her active role in politics and social issues.
Inflation -: Inflation means the increase in prices of goods and services over time. It makes things more expensive for people to buy.
Unemployment -: Unemployment is when people who want to work cannot find jobs. It is a big problem because it means people do not have money to buy things they need.
Union Budget 2024-25 -: The Union Budget is a plan made by the Indian government about how it will spend money and collect taxes for the year 2024-25.
Essential items -: Essential items are things that people need to live, like food, water, and medicines.
Life-saving drugs -: Life-saving drugs are medicines that are very important for people who are sick. They can help save lives.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman -: Nirmala Sitharaman is the Finance Minister of India. She is responsible for making the Union Budget and managing the country’s money.
‘Jan ki baat’ -: ‘Jan ki baat’ means ‘the people’s voice’ in Hindi. It refers to what common people want and need.
DMK leader TKS Elangovan -: TKS Elangovan is a leader from the DMK party, a political party in India. He has opinions about the Union Budget.
Congress party -: The Congress party is one of the major political parties in India. It has many leaders and members who work on different issues.
Strategy meeting -: A strategy meeting is when people come together to plan and decide what actions to take. In this case, it is about the Union Budget.
Seventh consecutive budget -: This means that Nirmala Sitharaman has made the Union Budget seven times in a row, without missing a year.
