New Delhi
May 23: Hoping that the full Budget for the current fiscal be presented in due time to "avoid uncertainties", finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said he would try everything to insulate the economy from the ongoing global economic downturn.
Speaking to reporters shortly after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assigned him the finance portfolio, Mr Mukherjee said, "Indian economy is resilient, strong and we shall have to build up and come back to the growth track as early as possible. We will be able to, I hope, present the Budget in due time so that uncertainties can be avoided and time of spending can be renewed."
After being given the charge of the finance ministry earlier this year, Mr Mukherjee had presented the vote-on-account in view of the elections.
When asked if the government would present a vote-on-account once again, he said he would not answer these questions now. "Don’t create problems for me and the people," he added.
Mr Mukherjee, who was the first one to take oath of office after the Prime Minister, said that he would be assuming office on Monday. "We will address all major issues. Various efforts will be made to insulate the economy from the adverse impact of financial meltdown," he said.
Earlier in the day, while briefing reporters about the first meeting of the Union Cabinet, home minister P. Chidambaram said the new government would strive to get the Budget approved by Parliament by July 31, the day when the vote-on-account approved by the interim Budget expires.
Often described as a man for all seasons and seen by his party as a trusted trouble-shooter, Mr Mukherjee’s first task is cutout for him to present the Budget for 2009-10 and continue the measures to boost the economy reeling under the impact of global financial crisis. As author of the interim Budget for the current fiscal, it would be easier for him to prepare the full Budget for the entire fiscal and ensure continuity in the economic policies and programmes.
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