Many historic steps in Budget: President

Murmu's joint Parliament address high on reforms

- ARCHIS MOHAN

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the forthcoming Budget of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, the first of its third term in office, would see "historic steps" along with "major economic and social decisions".

Addressing a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Murmu said the government would further accelerate the pace of reforms. She said the Budget would be an "effective document of the government's far-reaching policies and futuristic vision".

The President said the government was hoping to foster healthy competition among states to attract investors from all over the world in the "true spirit" of competitive cooperative federalism. "We will continue to move ahead with the belief that the development of the country lies in the development of the states," she said.

The word "reform" featured on 16 occasions in the President's 51-minute speech. Five years ago, the word had found four mentions in then President Ram Nath Kovind's speech on June 19, 2019, his first address to Parliament after that year's general elections. Pranab Mukherjee's speech on June 9, 2014, the first after the Narendra Modi-led government was elected, had also found four references to the word "reform".