Union Budget 2019-2020 -- long on talk, short on delivery: Punjab Finance Minister Badal

The Union Budget 2019-20 is long on talk but likely to be short on delivery, as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention much about major sectors like education and nationalism, said Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal here on Friday.

"The Finance Minister did not mention anything about growth deficit even after presenting the Budget on Friday. There was no mention of farmers' benefits as well. She did propose about opening farmer producer organisation but the proposal wasn't embellished with more details and clarity," Singh said during a press conference here.

"There is a need to introduce bank reforms rather than pumping in more money in the banking sector. There was no need for high taxes on petrol and diesel. Therefore, there would be a hike in inflation as well," he said.

He said that Rs 1 lakh crore is to be invested in infrastructure sector, but there was no mention about any master plan to be implemented.

"There was no mention of water problems across the country, job creation, and job availability. Finance Minister Sitaraman did not even carry a briefcase while she appeared for the budget session," he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday presented her maiden Budget that drew the highest applause from women on several occasions.

As Sitharaman concluded her budget speech Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked up to her and congratulated her. Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and several other ministers too walked up to her to congratulate her.