New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present a White Paper on the Indian economy in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

According to the supplementary agenda for the House on February 8, the minister will lay out a copy of the White Paper.

The budget session kicked off with President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of both Houses on January 31. This marks the final session of the current Lok Sabha before the general elections anticipated to take place in April-May this year.

In the union budget presented on February 1, the government announced its intention to release a 'White Paper' comparing the economic performance during the 10 years of the Congress-led UPA government with that of the 10 years of the BJP-led NDA government.

Presenting the interim budget for 2024-25 in Parliament, Sitharaman stated that since assuming office in 2014, the Modi government has successfully navigated through crises and has placed the economy on a robust growth trajectory.

"When our Government took charge in 2014, the task of gradually repairing the economy and restoring governance systems was immense. The priority was to instill hope in the people, attract investments, and garner support for much-needed reforms. The government achieved this successfully, guided by our unwavering commitment to 'nation-first'," she remarked.

"The challenges of those years have been surmounted, and the economy is now firmly on a sustainable growth path, with comprehensive development."
She announced that the government will present a White Paper in the House "to assess our situation from then until 2014 and where we stand now, solely to learn from the mismanagement of those years."

"The commendable record of governance, development, efficient service delivery, and 'Jan Kalyan' (welfare of the people) has earned the government the trust, confidence, and blessings of the people to realize the vision of 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) through sincere intentions, dedicated efforts, and hard work in the years and decades to come," she added.
The budget session, which is the final session of Parliament before the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May this year, was scheduled to conclude on February 9 but has been extended by a day.

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