Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the Union Budget is anchored in three “Kartavya” that aim to accelerate economic growth, empower citizens and ensure inclusive access to opportunities, even as the government keeps Aatmanirbharta at the centre of its policy approach.
Presenting the Budget, Sitharaman said that as this is the first Budget prepared in Kartavya Bhavan, it draws inspiration from three guiding duties that shape the government’s economic and social priorities.
The first Kartavya, she said, is to accelerate and sustain economic growth by enhancing productivity and competitiveness while building resilience to volatile global dynamics. Sitharaman underlined that strengthening the economy’s ability to withstand external shocks remains a key objective of policy-making.
The second Kartavya focuses on fulfilling the aspirations of the people by building their capacity and making them strong partners in India’s path to prosperity. According to the finance minister, empowering citizens is essential to translating growth into broad-based development.
The third Kartavya, aligned with the vision of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, seeks to ensure that every family, community, region and sector has access to resources, amenities and opportunities for meaningful participation in economic activity.
Sitharaman said that keeping Aatmanirbharta as a lodestar, the government has built domestic manufacturing capacity, strengthened energy security and reduced dependence on critical imports. These efforts, she noted, have been complemented by reforms designed to ensure that citizens benefit directly from government action.
The finance minister said the government has undertaken reforms to support employment generation, boost agricultural productivity, enhance household purchasing power and expand universal services for people. Together, these measures have helped deliver a high growth rate of around 7 per cent, she said.
Sitharaman added that the same policy framework has enabled the country to make substantial strides in poverty reduction and improve the lives of people across regions and sectors.
By centring the Budget around the three Kartavya, Sitharaman positioned herself as steering economic policy towards a balance of growth, self-reliance and inclusion, with an emphasis on ensuring that the benefits of development reach all sections of society. |
