Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday tabled a 'White Paper' in the Lok Sabha showcasing the achievements of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the last 10 years of the Narendra Modi government, while also giving an account of the 'economic mismanagement' of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.
In a poor reflection on the Congress party, which has been fighting all Assembly elections on the promise of its commitment towards welfarism and its 'five guarantees' for the upliftment of the people, the Finance Minister's 'White Paper' highlighted the previous UPA regime's failure to effectively implement social sector schemes on the ground.
The 'White Paper' stated: "Poor policy planning and execution resulted in large unspent funds for many social sector schemes during the UPA years, which in turn crippled the effectiveness of the government's schemes.
"Across the 14 major social and rural sector ministries, a cumulative of Rs 94,060 crore of budgeted expenditure was left unspent over the period of UPA Government (2004-14), which amounted to 6.4 per cent of the cumulative budget estimate during that period.
"In contrast, under the NDA government (2014-2024), Rs 37,064 crore of the budgeted expenditure, which is less than one per cent of the cumulative budget estimate, was left unspent."
Manipur Police arrest 11 militants, recover large cache of arms, ammunition
The Manipur Police arrested 11 militants belonging to various banned outfits and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during the past 24 hours, officials said here on Friday.
PM Modi unveils 21-point action plan at 6th BIMSTEC Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday presented a comprehensive 21-point action plan during the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, laying out an ambitious road map for cooperation across diverse sectors.
ED raids multiple premises of 'Empuraan' producer Gokulam Gopalan
Amid the controversy surrounding Malayalam film ‘Empuraan’ starring superstar Mohanlal, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at multiple premises linked to film’s producer Gokulam Gopalan.
SC declines PIL seeking restriction of social media platforms for kids below 13 years
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent judicial intervention to regulate access to social media platforms for children below 13 years of age.
BIMSTEC Summit: PM Modi, Yunus meet amid strained ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a bilateral meeting with Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladeshi interim government, on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.
Rupee strengthens against dollar amid Trump's reciprocal tariffs
The Indian rupee witnessed sharp gains on Friday at below 85 against dollar, as the dollar index and oil prices dropped sharply amid concerns over recession in the US economy after the reciprocal tariffs were announced.
Quad to send $20 million relief support to earthquake-ravaged Myanmar
Quad members Australia, India, Japan, and the United States on Friday collectively committed over $20 million in humanitarian assistance to support the relief efforts for the earthquake-devastated Myanmar.
'Waqf Bill will benefit Muslims, no threat to religious sites,' says Shahabuddin Razvi
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, the National President of All India Muslim Jamaat, expressed his support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, stating that it would significantly benefit Muslims and ensure the betterment of their socio-economic conditions.