Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hails interim budget as 'exceptional'

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday hailed the interim budget as "exceptional", asserting it serves the twin aim of establishing India as the world's fastest-growing economy for a sustained period and laying the foundation for becoming the third-largest financial power by 2029.

Sarma also opined that the fiscal information provided by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech shows that the people will elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third consecutive term during the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

"I congratulate Hon'ble Prime Minister and Hon'ble Finance Minister Smt @nsitharaman ji for this exceptional Budget! The March Towards Viksit Bharat Continues! The Interim Budget 2024-2025 sits on the pedestal of outstanding governance over the last 10 years," he said in a post on X.

In a nutshell, this interim budget serves the twin aim of firmly establishing India as the world's fastest-growing economy for a sustained period of time and laying a strong foundation for the nation's journey in becoming the third-largest economy by 2029, Sarma said.

"Action speaks louder than words - the developmental data presented in today's budget reflects the nationwide consensus that people will elect Hon'ble Prime Minster for a record third time," he asserted.

The chief minister also claimed Modi delivered historic accomplishments in the last one decade, transcending the cumulative achievements of the past.

Sarma also listed a few salient features of the interim budget.

Sitharaman announced a Rs 11.11 lakh crore spending on infrastructure and vowed to continue reforms as she resisted resorting to populist measures in Modi government's last budget before general elections, instead choosing to stay on the path of cutting deficit while bolstering measures for focus groups.

Presenting a vote on account or an interim budget for 2024-25, she proposed no changes in income tax rates for individuals and corporates, as well as import duty but offered amnesty for disputed income tax demands of the period prior to 2014-15 as a relief to small taxpayers.