(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised the Union Budget 2024 as a tool to empower all sections of society and said that it will strengthen India's newly emerged“Neo Middle Class” income group.
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"This is a budget that will take the country's villages, poor and farmers on the path of prosperity. In the last 10 years, 25 crore people have come out of poverty. This budget is a budget for the continuation of the empowerment of the newly emerged Neo Middle Class," PM Modi said in his remarks on the budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharama .
He added that the announcements made in the Union Budget 2024 will strengthen the middle class. The budget has also“come up with strong plans to empower the tribal society, Dalits and backward classes,” said PM Modi.
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While several social media users applauded the Union Budget, many others wondered about its benefits for middle-class people.
“As usual, another gimmicky budget, nothing for the tax-paying middle class, more freebies and more benefits for BJP's industrialist billionaire donors,” wrote a social media user on X.
“25 crore people have come out of poverty, 80 crore are getting free ration. Do the maths,” wrote another social media user in reference to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which provides free ration to 80 crore people in the country.
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“Budget me garib gurba k liye kuch nahi hai. I condemn this.”
“Vote maangne aao janaaab agle baar congress se b kharab halat hone wali.”
“Budget 2024 targets for balanced growth and long-term development, targeting a 4.9% fiscal deficit and ₹11.1 lakh crore for capital infrastructure spending. PM Modi's strategy is exactly on,” wrote another social media user on X.
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“PM Modi lauds #Budget2024 as transformative for the middle class, women, and MSMEs, fostering inclusive growth and economic resilience. A budget for every Indian!,” read another post on X.
This is not for the first time when, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mentioned the term 'neo-middle' class in his speech. The word was also mentioned in BJP's manifesto released for Gujarat elections in 2012. In the manifesto, Narendra Modi (then Gujarat Chief Minister) mentioned special measures for the lower middle class, by referring them as 'neo-middle class'.
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