Page 10 - Finance Minister

Analysts welcome PM Modi's faith in Sitharaman as finance minister

Some analysts see spending on infrastructure, which soared under Sitharaman, to remain a big focus of the government

Modi 3.0: Nirmala Sitharaman set to present seventh Budget in a row

A JNU alumnus, Sitharaman led the country in the G20 discussions, bringing to the table for the very first time issues related to cryptocurrency and other much-needed reforms as well

Economy expected to have grown at slower pace in Jan-Mar qtr: Survey

The median forecast from a survey of 54 economists put GDP growth at 6.7% year-on-year for the three months, the fourth quarter of India's 2023-24 fiscal

Centre saved over Rs 25,500 cr via fund transfer norms: FM Sitharaman

The NDA government has disclosed off-Budget funded schemes in the Budget documents from FY22

Modi govt reshaped, transformed Budget in last decade: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Modi government has reshaped the Union budget in the last 10 years from a mere record of expenditures to a strategic blueprint for equitable distribution. The minister asserted that the government would continue to maximise the value of taxpayers' money by putting it to the best possible use. She said the Modi government has prioritised transparency in its budgeting practices and numbers. Countries with transparent budgets are often viewed more favourably by international bodies such as the IMF and World Bank. This can lead to improved global trust. "This starkly contrasts the @INCIndia-led UPA government's repetitive practice of hiding the deficits through off-budget borrowings and issuance of 'Oil Bonds', which somewhat covertly shifted the fiscal burden to future generations. Under UPA, standard fiscal practices were routinely changed to make Budget numbers look favourable," Sitharaman said in a series of posts on X. She sa

LS polls: If economy growing fast, why people not prosperous, asks Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at the BJP-led Centre on Sunday, asking why people have not prospered if the country's economy is growing at a rapid pace. Addressing her first Lok Sabha poll rally in Punjab in favour of Amar Singh, the Congress candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "speaking lies and making hollow promises to the public only to capture power". At another rally in Chandigarh, she countered the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) charge that the Congress is anti-Hindu, saying her party's philosophy is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, which has taught people about truth, love, harmony and non-violence. In Fatehgarh Sahib, the Congress general secretary urged people to ensure Singh's victory in the June 1 polls. Hitting out at the Modi government, she claimed that 70 crore youngsters are unemployed in the country and the rate of unemployment is the highest in 45 years. Gandhi said 30 lakh posts are vacan

New book on FMs reveals complex yet interesting times of 1977-98

The period covers the first demonetisation, first attempts in tax reforms, balance of payments crisis

Govt considers easier regulations for CPSEs' entry into 'Ratna' club

A second official said the Ratna status allows CPSEs to do hassle free business. "They don't have to come to the government for permission for every business decision," the official added

PE funds partly behind the 62% drop in India's net FDI? Samir Arora's view

The ace fund manager was reacting on 'X' to a Business Standard story that quotes a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data on gross FDI flows into the country in FY24

FM Nirmala Sitharaman asks ICAI to set up 'Big 4'- like Indian firm

Interacting with the ICAI in Patna, Sitharaman sought a commitment from them to start work on the same as part of their 100-day agenda for Viksit Bharat by 2047

India must up its share in global manufacturing: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Some economists, including former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, have said recently that India should focus on services sector rather than manufacturing as it has missed that opportunity

FM's 'khata khat' remark: Cong accuses her of overseeing peak unemployment

The Congress on Tuesday hit back at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for questioning the finances behind the Congress' poll guarantees of providing Rs one lakh per annum to poor women and youth of the country and accused her of overseeing record unemployment and price rise. In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said while Sitharaman considers the Congress guarantees benefitting 99 per cent population as "lofty" but not the Rs 16 lakh crore loan write off for the prime minister's "cronies" or a Rs 2 lakh crore corporate tax cut for 0.7% of the largest firms that went straight into his "friends'" pockets. He asserted that the schemes promised by the Congress will be properly executed by the INDIA bloc government starting next month. "It is typical of the Modi government to describe only those policies intended to benefit 99% of the population as 'revdi', while billions handed out to the PM's cronies are excluded from this category. "The good news is that these .

Unchecked explosion of retail trading can spark market stability issues: FM

The ratio of the notional value of derivatives traded in India to more traditional cash trading is 422 times, the world's highest, Axis Mutual Fund said in an October 2023 report

IDBI Bank stake sale: FinMin in talks with RBI to hurry vetting process

Govt hopes to conclude transaction by FY25-end

PSUs not in disarray, but thriving under Modi regime, says Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said PSUs have suffered under the Congress-led UPA government and previously neglected ones like, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), have seen a 'resurgence' under the Modi government. Rebutting allegations by the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi that state-owned companies are in a disarray, Sitharaman said such claims are a textbook example of the pot calling the kettle black. In a post on X, the Minister said that under the Modi-government, public sector undertakings (PSUs) are thriving, benefiting significantly from the culture of professionalism infused in them along with increased operational freedom. PSUs have suffered under the Congress-led UPA government. PSUs that were previously neglected under the UPA government, such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, have seen a resurgence under the Modi government, she said. "Repeated claims from "the @INCIndia ecosystem and @RahulGandhi in particular that Public Sector .

Govt adopted pro-poor approach in GST implementation: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the government has adopted "a pro-poor approach" while implementing Goods and Services Tax, and despite lower taxes rates the revenues as a percentage of GDP have reached the pre-GST level. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sitharaman said without GST, states' revenue from subsumed taxes from FY 2018-19 to 2023-24 would have been Rs 37.5 lakh crore. With GST, states' actual revenue amounted to Rs 46.56 lakh crore. "Despite the GST rate being less than the prescribed Revenue Neutral Rate and COVID-19 affecting the revenues, GST collections (as a percentage of GDP) have now reached the levels they were before GST (both net and gross). "This demonstrates that the Centre & States, collectively, through better tax administration, are able to collect the same revenue with a lower burden on our taxpayers," she said. GST, which was rolled out on July 1, 2017, had subsumed 17 taxes and 13 cesses into a 5-tier structure, thereby ...

FM Sitharaman swears in Justice (Retd) Mishra as 1st President of GSTAT

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday administered the oath of office to Justice (Retd) Sanjaya Kumar Mishra as first President of the GST appellate tribunal (GSTAT). Mishra's appointment marks the beginning of the operationalisation of the GSTAT, a crucial body for resolving GST-related disputes. "Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman administered the oath of integrity and secrecy to Justice (Retd.) Sanjaya Kumar Mishra as the President of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), in New Delhi, today," an official statement said. Mishra was a former Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court and was selected by a Search-cum-Selection Committee headed by the Chief Justice of India. The GSTAT is the Appellate Authority established under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, to hear various appeals under the said Act and the respective State/Union Territories GST Acts against the orders of the first appellate authority. It consists of a princip

FM's clarification on capital gains tax could see markets recover on Monday

Ambareesh Baliga, an independent market analyst believes the markets want 'more of the same' in terms of income tax-related policies - continuity amid a stable regime

FinMin studying HC order on PSBs' look out circulars for wilful defaulters

The Finance Ministry is studying the recent Bombay High Court order banning public sector banks from seeking the issuance of look out circulars, or LOCs, against wilful defaulters, sources said. Quashing the powers granted by the Union government to public sector banks (PSBs) to act against wilful defaulters, the High Court said it is arbitrary and violative of a person's fundamental rights. The finance ministry is aware of the April 26 judgement and will make a detailed assessment of the order, sources said, adding that the next course of action will be decided after studying the order. A division bench of Justice Gautam Patel and Justice Madhav Jamdar had on April 23 held as unconstitutional the clause of an office memorandum issued by the central government empowering the Chairman, Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of public sector banks to seek issuance of LOCs against default borrowers or even persons who stood guarantee for such borrowers. In its 289-page judgem

LS election phase 2: FM Sitharaman, Rahul Dravid among early voters

Polling was underway on Friday in 88 constituencies spread across 13 states and union territories in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging people to cast their votes in record numbers. Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm. Asserting that their vote is their voice, Modi especially told the youth and women voters to turn up at the polling booths in great numbers, and said a high voter turnout strengthens democracy. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also urged voters to come out and vote to protect democracy from the clutches of dictatorship. He also said that the Constitution should reverberate in their hearts before they push to voting button. In Kerala and Karnataka, long queues of voters were seen outside polling booths as soon as voting started. However, there were reports of EVM breakdowns in various booths across Kerala, delaying the election process in those places. Polling in underway at 20 Lok Sabha seats in .