India, Belarus to strengthen bilateral ties: Lok Sabha Speaker
Belarus, June 13 : Expressing India's firm commitment in strengthening the already warm relations with Belarus, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday emphasized on enhancing commercial and economic relations between the two countries.
"India and Belarus are time-tested friends and good feelings between the two countries need to be supported by the enhancement in commercial and economic cooperation," she said after meeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Mahajan is leading an Indian Parliamentary Delegation comprising of Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Jayshreeben Patel, K. Keshava Rao, Arvind Sawant and G.V.L. Narasimha Rao to Belarus, Latvia and Finland.
She said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's use of the term "security" at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit implied not merely territorial security but also security in other areas.
"The Government of India is well aware that our defence cooperation with Russia has always included Belarus and its production facilities in the background. We are keen on furthering this relationship by establishing joint ventures in the fields of mutual interest and benefit," she said in a statement issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Keeping in mind India's SMART cities programme, she welcomed Belarusian technology for not just SMART transportation but also for SMART water, electricity, sewage disposal and green buildings.
During the discussion, the Belarus President emphasized the need to give a firm direction to the India-Belarus bilateral relations so that they may evolve in the right manner in the future.
"The two countries already have convergent views on most issues and support each other in all multilateral fora, but their commercial relations need a further push. Promoting joint ventures and mutual investment is the way forward," he said.
Mahajan assured Lukashenko of her support and willingness to convey Belarusian concerns to the Indian government.
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Criticism of PM Modi, repeated mentions of guarantees to be highlights of K’taka Budget: LoP Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday took a dig at CM Siddaramaiah ahead of the state Budget presentation, claiming that the government is expected to borrow Rs 1.15 lakh crore and is likely to impose fresh taxes on the people.
He said the Budget would have nothing new, adding that its highlights would be criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes ('Shakti', 'Gruha Lakshmi', 'Gruha Jyoti, 'Yuva Nidhi' and 'Anna Bhagya').
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026–27 Budget on March 6. This will be his record 17th budget.
“Siddaramaiah-led Congress government’s budget will be presented tomorrow. While Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reduced the tax burden in the Union Budget, Siddaramaiah is known for imposing taxes on people. He imposes about four taxes a month and has already introduced 36 taxes, and is now looking for ways to impose more,” Ashoka said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the Congress had promised people before coming to power that the guarantee schemes would be implemented without imposing any burden on them.
“By the end of the chief minister’s term, the state’s total debt will probably exceed Rs 6 lakh crore. The government has already breached financial discipline. Siddaramaiah and his government are somehow managing the situation,” Ashoka claimed, adding that his borrowings as CM equal those of 12 or 13 former chief ministers combined.
Stating that the Budget should create higher revenue sources, ensure that no burden is placed on people, and take the state away from debt, the opposition leader said this could be ensured only by a “clever and intelligent finance minister.”
“Anyone can run a government by pushing the state into debt,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of “increasing the state’s debt and failing to meet the expectations of the people.”
Highlighting that Siddaramaiah blames the previous BJP government for everything, Ashoka said Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister during the previous BJP government, had presented a “surplus budget,” without excessive borrowings.
“Despite having the opportunity to borrow more while staying within the parameters of financial discipline, he (Bommai) did not do so, as it would burden the people,” he said, accusing Siddaramaiah of borrowing crores of rupees every year.
“I feel that this time too, he will take a loan of Rs 1.15 lakh crore,” he claimed.
The BJP leader said he had written to the CM requesting an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore annually for the development of backward taluks, as recommended by the High Power Committee on Redressal of Regional Imbalance (HPCRRI), chaired by economist Prof M Govinda Rao.
Claiming that the government appears “inactive” due to internal rifts, Ashoka pointed to an ongoing power struggle between factions led by Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over the CM’s post.
“Amid all this, we cannot expect anything new from this Budget. The CM will repeatedly speak about the guarantee schemes and target the central government and PM Modi. Criticising Modi and repeated mentions of the five guarantee schemes will be the highlight of this Budget. Other than that, there will be nothing new,” he added.
He also dismissed the CM's claim that the government had achieved 90 per cent of the promises made in the previous Budget. “The fact is that not even 9 per cent has been achieved. I have evidence for it,” he said.
Ashoka further alleged that the government had also failed in tax collection, achieving only 48 per cent of the target, and had released less than 40 per cent of the allocated funds to some departments.
