The Union budget was meant for the poor, and aimed at boosting small businesses and farm incomes and weeding out illegal cash holdings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday. Speaking on television minutes after the budget was presented in Parliament, Modi complemented finance minister Arun Jaitley. “The finance minister has presented an ‘uttam’ budget, devoted to strengthening the hands of the poor,” the prime minister said. Modi said the budget had focussed on women’s empowerment, the housing sector and agriculture. “The budget was devoted to farmers, villagers and poor.”He said small businesses would be helped by tax proposals – Jaitley slashed tax rates for small companies – and called the lowering of tax rates a brave move.

Source: Hindustan Times February 01, 2017 08:39 UTC