"Will be concentrating on 4.1 cr youth who will be employed over five years": Union Minister Hardeep Puri

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday that the budget 20 24-25 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents a very solid fiscal consolidation simultaneously sending a powerful message that now the government will be concentrating on providing employment to 4.1 crore youth. "This budget presents a very solid fiscal consolidation. I mean, the fact that the economy has grown well in the last few years, the fact that the projection onward is very healthy. The fact is that our fiscal deficit has come down from 5.1 to about 4.89 per cent.

The fact that this budget is sending a very powerful message that in the coming time, we will be concentrating on 4.1 crore youth who will be employed over five years. For the first time, an innovative scheme has come to be able to give internships to a large number of our youth in the top 500 companies of the country. So all these taken together, I was particularly pleased with another aspect, which is the fact that we have walked the talk. We have gone from women's centre to women-led development," Puri said.

"So these are some of the takeaways. As I said, the theme is on women's led development, on providing skilling and jobs for youth and presenting an overall healthy fiscal consolidation position where we are moving from a 3 trillion-dollar economy to a 5 trillion-dollar economy, from the 10th to the fifth and we are moving, according to the IMF, to the third largest economy in the world by 2027," he added. Slamming the opposition, the Union Minister further said that he recommends them to analyse the budget.

"Opposition's work is to not to be happy from the budget. I would recommend them to analyze the budget. They should have also done something (for Bihar). Andhra Reorganisation Act was of 2012, it was their (opposition) work, now if we have done this, they should be happy," Hardeep Singh Puri said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her record seventh consecutive Union Budget 2024-25 today (on July 23) during the Budget Session of Parliament. She made history as the first finance minister to present seven consecutive budget speeches, surpassing former Prime Minister Morarji Desai's record of six consecutive budgets as finance minister between 1959 and 1964.

FM Sitharaman, in her seventh consecutive Union Budget for 2024-25, outlined key priorities aimed at fostering economic growth and creating ample opportunities. The priorities include Productivity and Resilience in Agriculture, Employment and Skilling and services.