The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed sharp exchanges between the Opposition members and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel after Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi dubbed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s promise of a ₹1000 crore package for the tea industry of Assam and West Bengal as a ‘jumla’ or a gimmick.
During the Question Hour, when Mr. Gogoi said that not a penny had been spent out of the amount that Ms. Sitharaman had announced in last year’s Budget, Ms. Patel said, “This is not at all ‘jumla’. There has been in-depth thinking and planning on the part of the government... We want to take all the benefits to the intended beneficiaries with due diligence and in a systematic manner”.
