"We Are Confident, People Firmly Believe In PM": Nirmala Sitharaman To NDTV

New Delhi:

The Modi government is focused on empowerment and is not concerned with populist measures, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told NDTV Friday in her first post-budget interview. It does not believe in "hand-holding people (so) it hampers their own decision-making", she stressed.

Speaking to NDTV a day after presenting the 2024 Interim Budget - which contained no populist announcement, such as revision of income tax slabs - Ms Sitharaman said the absence of such measures in her budget was a nod to the confidence people have in the Prime Minister before the April/May Lok Sabha election, in which the ruling BJP is expected to win a third consecutive term.

"We are confident because people's faith in the PM is unwavering... because in the last 10 years, we not only announced pro-people schemes but worked hard to make sure that every last eligible person benefitted from these policies. They now we did what we promised," Ms Sitharaman told NDTV.