Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said fiscal prudence without compromising on judicious social welfare spending remains the cornerstone of the government s policy. Replying to a debate on the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for FY24, which was approved by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Sitharaman said the Narendra Modi-led government has adopted realistic budget-making in recent years.
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PM Modi speech Highlights: Lockdown last resort; focus on micro-containment
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Tuesday and spoke about the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country. He said the situation in India was under control until some weeks ago, but the second wave of COVID has come like a storm. The prime minister said India is currently fighting a very tough battle against coronavirus and urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states to refrain from imposing lockdowns and treat it as the last resort. He instead asked them to focus on micro-containment. He also assured that the efforts are going on to ensure an ample supply of medical oxygen across the country, with contribution from both public and private entities.
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Call on bringing fuels under GST to be taken closer to GST Council meet: Sitharaman
Amidst the rise in fuel prices, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said she might take a call closer to the GST Council meeting about proposing to the Council to bring petrol and diesel under the goods and services tax (GST). Sitharaman admitted that taxes on fuels should be brought down to reduce the burden on consumers, and called pricing a worrying issue.
Dual airbags mandatory for new cars from April 1
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a notification on Friday making it mandatory for new models to have dual airbags installed in them for the safety of passengers. The new models of cars will have to adhere to this norm from April 1, 2021, onwards. The Centre has given time till August 31, 2021, for dual airbag installation in older models.