President Kovind lauds Centre’s welfare schemes, says India running world’s largest food distribution drive

New Delhi: The Union Budget session this year is a 79-hour window for the government to conduct legislative business and both houses will sit one hour less per session of the total 27 sessions due to staggered sittings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Union Budget for 2022-23 will be presented in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman tomorrow at 11 am and today, President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the members of both houses.

Lauding India’s fight against the novel Coronavirus, President Ram Nath Kovind said: “India’s capability to fight COVID-19 was evident in its vaccination programme. “In less than a year, we made a record of administering over 150 crore doses of vaccine. Today, we’re one of the leading nations in the world when it comes to the number of doses given,” he said.

The President went on to say: “My Government is also running PM Svanidhi Yojana to benefit the street vendors. So far, 28 lakh street vendors have received monetary support worth over Rs. 2,900 crore. The Centre is now connecting these vendors via online companies. We can also see the impact of the manner in which my government linked Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile, JAM trinity, to citizen empowerment. Thousands and thousands of people have received direct cash transfers during the pandemic.”

He also went on to praise the Central government for its welfare schemes. “To ensure that no one returns home hungry, my government distributed free ration to the poor every month as part of the PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana. Today, India is running the world’s largest food distribution programme. Also, the Ayushman Bharat card has benefited the poor. Availability of medicines at low prices at Jan Aushadi Kendra was also a great move.”

Don’t miss sessions: PM

Addressing the nation ahead of the Parliament’s Budget Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while welcoming all legislators, said the session would showcase India’s economic growth to the world. “In today’s global situation, there are a lot of opportunities for India. This session boosts confidence in the world regarding the country’s economic progress, vaccination programme, and Made in India vaccines,” the PM added. Requesting legislators to not miss the Session while campaigning for the elections, the Prime Minister said: “It is true that polls affect Sessions and discussions. But I request all MPs that elections will go on but the Budget Session draws a blueprint for the entire year. The more fruitful we make it, the better our economic progress will be.”