In LS, Opposition terms ₹1,000 cr. package for tea industry jumla, Minister hits back

OROP, extension of GST compensation for States and alleged misuse of Central agencies raised during Zero Hour 

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”.

Though the Tea Board had drafted the Prime Minister Chai Shramik Protsahan scheme, there was an opinion that all welfare schemes related to education, health or other facilities were already being made available through various schemes of the ministries, she stated.

“One more opinion came that we can set up capital infrastructure like anganwadi centres, hospitals, ayush and wellness centres and schools,” she said.

One Rank One Pension (OROP), extension of the GST compensation and alleged misuse of Central agencies against political rivals were the other prominent issues that figured in during the Zero Hour.

Raising the OROP issue, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government had not done justice with retired armed force personnel as it opposed a plea by the ex-Servicemen association in the Supreme Court.