Budget 2024 LIVE Updates
Live Updates: Parliamentary Proceedings
JULY 24, 2024 15:27
NDA is Uncertain and Fragile, Says TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee:
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee remarked, "Nobody is referring to this government as Modi 3.0, not even the Finance Minister when she presented the Budget." He also criticized the NDA coalition, stating, "It is so uncertain and fragile that it could implode at any moment."
Further criticizing the Centre, Mr. Banerjee added, "After yesterday, it's clear that coalition politics is all about appeasement and compensation."
JULY 24, 2024 15:26
Budget Ignores Common Man,' Says Jawahar Sircar in Rajya Sabha:
AITC MP Jawhar Sircar criticized the Budget, asserting that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has exempted gold, silver, platinum, luxury cruise ships, and angel tax, which he says have no relevance to the common man.
"She hasn’t addressed savings or issues affecting the average citizen," he said. He described the Budget as a "user-friendly political weapon."
JULY 24, 2024 15:20
AITC MP Jawahar Sircar criticized the Union Budget:
AITC MP Jawahar Sircar criticized the Union Budget, calling it "a fig leaf for plutocracy." He expressed disappointment in the Finance Minister's tenure of seven years, stating, "I have been involved in the Budget process for 21 years and have helped execute budgets, but I have never seen one as atrocious as this."
JULY 24, 2024 15:17
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee attacked the Modi government
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee attacked the Modi government over the Union Budget, calling it "anti-people." He remarked, "This Budget was planned by two individuals to benefit another two, ignoring the aspirations of 140 crore people." Banerjee further stated, "On June 4, 2024, the people decisively rejected the Modi-led government, and now we have a shaky coalition in place."
JULY 24, 2024 15:10
BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal praised PM:
BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal praised Prime Minister Modi in the Rajya Sabha, stating that Modi is driving India's rapid progress and lifting people out of poverty. He criticized the Opposition for ignoring these advancements.
JULY 24, 2024 14:26
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh's Speach
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh from Chandauli expressed his discontent in the Lok Sabha, claiming that the Union Budget 2024 ignored Uttar Pradesh entirely. He described it as a "sarkaar bachao Budget" and accused the BJP of sidelining UP due to the General Election results.
JULY 24, 2024 14:46
MP P. Chidambaram addressed the Rajya Sabha, presenting five demands from the Congress manifesto for the Finance Minister to consider:
1. Implement a minimum wage of ₹400 per day for all types of employment.
2. Establish a legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP).
3. Waive the unpaid balance of interest and installments on educational loans taken up to March 2024.
4. Completely abolish the Agnipath scheme.
5. Allow states that oppose NEET to scrap the exam.
JULY 24, 2024 14:34
Chidambaram Reminds FM of India's Federal Structure
P. Chidambaram pointed out that the budgets of most states were significantly reduced in the recent Budget. He questioned why states like Bihar and Tamil Nadu did not receive any relief funds, emphasizing that India operates as a federal state.
Chidambaram also criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for not mentioning Tamil Nadu even once in her 60-page Budget speech, despite it being the state where she grew up and completed her education.
JULY 24, 2024 14:26
Chidambaram Questions Government's Inflation Measures in Rajya Sabha
Highlighting the pressing issue of rising inflation, P. Chidambaram asked the government what deflators it was using to tackle the situation. He also raised concerns about wages, questioning the Finance Minister's claims of providing relief, and asked, "Relief for whom?"
JULY 24, 2024 14:15
Rahul Gandhi Meets Farmer Leaders, Demands Legal Guarantee for MSP
Today, a group of farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka met with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, at the Parliament House complex. They discussed various issues faced by farmers. Rahul Gandhi emphasized the need for a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
JULY 24, 2024 14:14
How Will Employee-Linked Incentive Work: P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram mentioned that the Employee-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme seems to have been introduced because the Performance-Linked Incentive (PLI) did not create as many jobs as expected. He urged the Finance Minister to provide more details about the ELI and its accomplishments so far. Chidambaram expressed skepticism about the scheme’s ability to benefit 290 lakh people, highlighting the severe unemployment problem in the country.
JULY 24, 2024 14:12
Finance Minister Quoted Congress Manifesto: Senior Congress Leader P. Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram thanked the Finance Minister for the employment-linked incentive scheme and other initiatives mentioned in her speech. He humorously noted that several ideas were taken directly from the Congress manifesto, specifically from pages 11, 30, and 31. Chidambaram encouraged members of the Treasury Benches to read the Congress manifesto and consider more ideas from it, jesting that "copying is not prohibited in this House."
JULY 24, 2024 14:10
Rajya Sabha Discusses Union Budget and J&K Budget for 2024-25
The Rajya Sabha started discussing the Union Budget 2024-25 and the Jammu & Kashmir budget 2024-25 together. P. Chidambaram, the former Finance Minister, led the discussion in the House.
JULY 24, 2024 14:00
Rajya Sabha Resumes Session
The same day, the Rajya Sabha resumed its proceedings after a break.
JULY 24, 2024 13:46
Concern Over Nipah Virus Outbreak Raised
Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh from Mavelikkara, Kerala, expressed his concerns about the Nipah virus outbreak. He mentioned that India has reported 99 Nipah virus cases between 2001 and 2023, with Kerala accounting for 28% of these cases, including a recent one in Kozhikode.
He highlighted that during the first outbreak, the fatality rate was very high, with 17 deaths out of 19 confirmed cases in Kozhikode and Malappuram, which is alarming. As a second wave of the virus is emerging, he urged the central government to send a special team to assist Kerala in managing the situation.
JULY 24, 2024 13:23
Lok Sabha Zero Hour: TMC MP raises concern over poor conditions of Railway colonies in Kharagpur
June Maliah, TMC MP from Medinipur (West Bengal), raises concern about poor infrastructure facilities provided by the Railways in the quarters allotted to the low-income groups. She says, “The Railways don’t provide these colonies with basic infrastructure which is, water supply, electricity supply, and also sometimes toilets.” “The Municipality face no cooperation from the Railways,” the MP adds.
JULY 24, 2024 13:15
Rajya Sabha: What measures is the government taking to prevent action against Tamil fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, P. Wilson asks
DMK MP P. Wilson raises periodical firing by the Sri Lankan Navy even when Tamil Nadu fishermen undertake fishing within the Indian territory. He also points out that several Tamil fishermen are languishing in Sri Lankan jail. Lalan Singh, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, responds and says that the Joint Working Committee involved in talks with the Sri Lankan government will take note of the issue.
JULY 24, 2024 13:00
Lok Sabha: Sikar MP raises concern over shortage of drinking water
Amraram, CPI(M) MP from Sikar (Rajasthan), points to a shortage of water supply in four districts around Sikar. He says, “People are still struggling for drinking water. It’s been close to eight decades but still people have not got clean water from the Yamuna, which is part of Rajasthan.”
JULY 24, 2024 12:30
Lok Sabha: DMK MP T. M. Selvaganapathi raises concern over fencing of tracks in Salem
T. M. Selvaganapathi, DMK MP from Salem (Tamil Nadu) raises concern over the fencing of railway tracks near Salem, affecting the livelihood of thousands of farmers living along the tracks. He says, “In the name of fencing the property, they [railway] are fencing the livelihood of the living along the railway tracks.” Fencing of railway tracks is mainly done to prevent encroachment of Railway land and it also prevents the entry of animals and vehicular traffic.
JULY 24, 2024 12:26
Rajya Sabha: India has ‘full guarantee of security’, says MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai
During the Zero Hour, Mr. Rai says that India is a peaceful country, with ‘full guarantee of security’. Any movement from terrorists will be eliminated quickly in India today, he adds.
Budget 2024 LIVE Updates
Stay tuned for the latest news on the 2024 Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:09 PM
Navneet Munot on FM's announcements
Navneet Munot, MD & CEO of HDFC AMC, praised the budget for balancing fiscal prudence and growth. He highlighted the focus on sustainable development, inclusive growth, and fiscal consolidation as positive steps. He believes that the emphasis on job creation will benefit India's demographic advantage.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:06 PM
Youth upskilling will be an economic driver
Warren Harris, CEO & MD of Tata Technologies, commended the government for prioritizing youth skill development. He appreciated the plan to upskill 20 lakh young people over the next five years and the commitment to upgrading over 1,000 ITIs, which will help bridge the skill gap and support the 'Make in India' initiative.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:04 PM
Reactions to FM's speech
Kami Viswanathan, President of FedEx MEISA, welcomed the reduction in corporate tax rates for foreign companies. He noted that the budget's focus on infrastructure development, a skilled workforce, environmental stewardship, and digitization would drive transformative growth. He also praised the allocation of 3.4% of GDP to infrastructure and incentives for states to implement business reforms.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 04:49 PM
Mamata Banerjee calls Budget 'directionless'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the Union Budget 2024, describing it as "directionless, anti-people, and lacking vision." She expressed disappointment that the budget seemed politically biased and did not address the needs of the common people or the poor.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 04:41 PM
Reactions to FM's speech
Delphin Varghese, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of AdCounty Media, welcomed the removal of the Angel Tax, which had been a hurdle for early-stage investments. He noted that this decision could boost startup funding in their early stages.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 04:18 PM
A big challenge for stock market
Ashish Singhal, Co-Founder of Lemonn and Coinswitch, expressed concerns about the increase in short-term and long-term capital gains taxes, as well as the hike in STT on F&O. He noted that the initial market reaction was negative.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 03:55 PM
Expenditure towards railways highest
Finance Secretary TV Somanathan announced that the budget allocation for railways is the highest ever, reflecting the government's commitment to improving railway infrastructure.
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 03:42 PM
Reactions on FM's speech
Vineet Agarwal, Managing Director of Transport Corporation of India Ltd, praised the budget's focus on enhancing rural critical infrastructure. He believes this will help boost the cold supply chain and improve warehousing and transportation networks.
