Government Calls it Historic, Opposition Demands Details of Rs 20 Lakh Crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation on Tuesday, 12 May, laid emphasis on 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' an economic relief package worth Rs 20 lakh crore for a ‘self-reliant’ India.

He said that the package, estimated to be around 10 percent of the GDP, is intended to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic and boost India’s local economy. The PM also stressed on the use of country-made products in a bid to provide an impetus to small and local businesses.

The prime minister added that the economic package, which translates to about $2.66 billion, will boost medium and small businesses as well as India’s middle classes.

Shortly after the PM’s address to the nation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter to appeal for greater consumption of locally made products. “The time has come for us to take a vow to use as much local products as possible and turn local into global,” Shah tweeted.

Describing the announcement as “historic”, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that over 11 crore workers in small, cottage and rural industries “have been given relief.”

“Industry can never forget this support given by Prime Minister Modi to small industries, cottage industries and rural industries. Over 11 crore workers in these sectors have been given relief. We'll become a super economic power, come out of this crisis and walk towards development,” Gadkari said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath considered PM Modi's drive remarkable and notable. He said that it would end up being an achievement in managing the circumstance of COVID-19 and making the nation confident. 

Restriction Demands Details 

Previous Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he anticipates lucidity from the account serve on the bundle reported by PM Modi on 12 May. 

Chidambaram said the Congress "will likewise cautiously inspect who gets what? What's more, the principal thing we will search for is the thing that poor people, hungry and crushed vagrant laborers can expect after they have strolled many kilometers to their home states." He likewise tweeted, "We will likewise analyze what the base



portion of the populace (13 crore families) will get as far as REAL MONEY." 

"Monetary bundle ought to have been reported before. It isn't clear what is in the bundle for workers, ranchers, dealers, and MSMEs," Chattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel said to ANI. Remarking on the absence of clearness, Baghel included, "tomorrow Finance Minister will explain it then just it will be clear which segment is getting what." 

Congress pioneer and representative, Randeep Surjewala, responding strongly to the PM's declaration said the nation is "profoundly frustrated by your articulate absence of sympathy" towards vagrant specialists, who need "empathy care and safe return" 

Congress representative Sanjay Jha asked where was the cash going to originate from. 

Congress national representative Abhishek Singhvi said that the Rs 20 lakh crore bundle has been declared by a similar individual who has just made numerous such large declarations. "We should perceive the amount of this really interprets on the ground," he tweeted. 

Attacking PM Modi, Congress pioneer and MP Shashi Tharoor said that the old 'Make in India' crusade was being repackaged as 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

TMC’s Derek O’Brien Asks Questions Via Video

Echoing the demand for details on the package, Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, in a video message on Twitter said, “he said 20 lakh crores, 10 percent of GDP but little asterisk there saying ‘some conditions apply’ because we saw no details.”

“We saw the box today, we saw the wrapping paper today but what’s in the product? We don’t know. For that we have to open the package tomorrow or day after,” he added.

AAP Asks if There Are ‘Hidden Adjustments’

Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raghav Chadha, commenting on the package, asked if “there are any other hidden adjustments?”

Questioning the government’s net cash flow, Chadha stated that if the Reserve Bank of India’s liquidity adjustments for March and ‘comfort to mutual funds in April’ are part of the package then “it has already reduced to 15.75 lac crore”