Over nation’s resources, poor have the first right

New Delhi, Feb 01: Pitching for bridging urban-rural divide, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday said the country's poor have the first right over nation's resources.

Presenting the budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha, Goyal said, "We plan to provide urban facilities in rural areas while preserving 'soul of village'."

He further said the government has worked to bridge the urban-rural divide and "the poor have the first right over nation's resources".

Highlighting the achivements of the government, mentioning the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Goyal said India has achieved over 98 per cent rural sanitation coverage and about 5.4 lakh villages have been made open defecation-free.