Modi Govt diluting people-oriented programmes: Congress

New Delhi, May 4: Opposition on Wednesday attacked the government in the Lok Sabha for diluting or doing away with people-oriented programmes and policies like the rights to information, food and work, and reducing allocations on them.

They also accused the government of having no roadmap for bringing in the GST Bill, recovering the mounting bad loans or expanding the tax base by bringing rich farmers under the tax net and said the nation now wanted "a full-time Finance Minister and not a multi-tasking" one.

"I think the time has come that the nation wants a full- time Finance Minister and not a multi-tasking one ... You need to take reform measures to boost growth," senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily said while initiating the debate on the Finance Bill 2016.

Referring to measures like Right to Information, Right to Food and Right to Work taken by the UPA I and II governments, he said the previous government has not given any bad legacy.

"You (NDA government) say you got bad legacy. You are going to sink, if you demolish these people-oriented programmes."

TMC members attacked the government on issues ranging from the jewellers strike and EPF and pension issues and said it had lost an opportunity to expand the tax base by including rich farmers, while BJD said the government was not taking steps to curtail illicit money.

Criticising the budget proposals, Moily said none of the measures including the GST were implemented by this government.

"No road map has been prepared for the GST and you are not serious about it. You are not going to achieve anything," he said.

"On the resources side, on reform side, it is a failed budget. 'Make in India' is the biggest casualty in this Budget. Where is the result, where is the delivery," he asked.

Maintaining that the situation of banks was getting worse, he said the non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans were increasing and banks were not in a position to lend.

"Have you taken any measure to ring fence from the danger," he said, adding the government is not giving right facts to the people of this country.

"You have no audacity to recover (the money). You are only sleeping. You have totally demoralised it," Moily said.

"You say that within five years, farmers income will double. Agriculture sector is growing at about 1 per cent. Is it possible at all. Specific road map should come on how you are going to achieve this," the Congress leader said.

PTI