Prakash Javadekar hails President Pranab Mukherjee's speech ahead of budget presentation

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday hailed President Pranab Mukherjee’s customary speech ahead of budget, terming it inspirational.

Javadekar said that the speech outlined government’s actions aimed at welfare of the poor, farmers and SC/ST community, former Union minister Renuka Chowdhury, however, claimed the speech was written by the government in view of the upcoming Assembly polls in the five states.

“It was an inspirational speech, it narrated government's actions...about how we are developing the rural section, giving justice to the poor, the downtrodden, scheduled caste, scheduled tribes, farmers, labourers and all those who were neglected," he told reporters on the Parliament premises.

ALSO READ |  Union Budget 2017: President Mukherjee addresses joint session, says Govt committed to combat terrorism

Javadekar noted the President also mentioned Centre's moves of demonetisation and surgical strike.” ...more importantly it mentioned that how the government programme have not remained only bureaucratic programme, but have become a jan aandolan (public campaign),” he added.

Chowdhury criticized the NDA government and said that she felt pity for it for having rehashed and renamed schemes worked out by previous UPA dispensation as its own and claimed it has not formulated even a single scheme of its own.