NEW DELHI (TIP): Former finance minister P Chidambaram, who presented the interim budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, has said he is happy to find the BJP government’s first Budget validating the figures presented by him. “The imprint of the UPA government’s policies can be found throughout the Budget speech and in the budget documents,” Chidambaram said in a statement. He said it’s not possible to come out with a “Congress- Mukt Budget”.

“Welcome to the real world… BJP sought a mandate for Congress-Mukt Bharat.My friend, Arun Jaitley, would have realised that it is not possible to have even a Congress- Mukt Budget,” the former finance minister said. He said Arun Jaitley’s Budget has the imprint of UPA policies on fiscal consolidation, GST, FDI cap in insurance and social sector schemes. “I am glad that Arun Jaitley has acknowledged the basic validity of the numbers presented in the Interim Budget for 2014-15 and has stuck to them…He has also maintained the tax revenue estimates for Corporation Tax, Customs and Service Tax,” he said. Chidambaram referred to the numbers with regard to the fiscal deficit at 4.1% and revenue deficit of 2.9% (marginally lower than 3%).

Mamata: Budget visionless
KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee came down heavily on the NDA for what she called a ‘visionless, missionless and actionless’ budget as far as the common man is concerned. According to her, the first Union Budget tabled by the Narendra Modi government can’t stimulate growth or lead to development of the poor. “We heard about a strong and vibrant India before the government came to power.

We thought that it will be delivered to provide good governance. But from the beginning, we are getting disappointed. Only one positive sign of the new government is established in two budgets that they have become a government of the FDI, by the FDI and for the FDI. Already, there is FDI in the retail. Now FDI is increased to 49% in Defence, and Insurance Sectors. In addition, disinvestment in banking sector is up to 49%.