1991 reforms were incomplete: Nirmala Sitharaman

1991 reforms were incomplete: Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that India could have already become the fifth largest economy in the world.

The government said the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-drove BJP government zeroed in on building foundation and versatile communication, which helped the country.



New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said that India could have become the fifth largest economy in the world earlier, but for the philosophy of socialism that relied on centralized planning.

Speaking at an event organized by Hindi Vivek Patrika, Sitharaman also said that the economic reforms of 1991 were incomplete. In his speech delivered in Hindi, the minister described the reforms undertaken by the then Congress government as "Adh-Adhure" (half-hearted).


The government said the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-drove BJP government zeroed in on building foundation and mobile communication, which helped the country. Sitharaman also said that the Narendra Modi government introduced major reforms, including GST, in addition to social welfare schemes, such as making LPG connections and energy-saving LED lights more widely available.

The Minister also said that due to the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme, the beneficiaries of the schemes now get their full entitlement. ""This is a change achieved by innovation.

After the introduction of DBT, at least ₹2 trillion worth of benefits have been saved from falling into the wrong hands," the minister said. He also mentioned the government's initiative to bring broadband connectivity to all. Villages, BharatNet Project.

News agency PTI reported that Sitharaman said that speaking Hindi makes her "shudder" and she speaks the language with hesitation.

The report said Sitharaman said she was born and studied in college in Tamil Nadu, which was in the midst of a movement against Hindi and also saw violent protests against Hindi.

The PTI report quoted the minister as saying that students choosing Hindi or Sanskrit as a second language, even those appearing in the merit list, did not get scholarships by the state government as a result of their preferred language.

However, the finance minister kept on talking in Hindi and finished the whole discourse, which happened for over 35 minutes, in Hindi.