Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the Government is committed to bringing normalcy and prosperity to Manipur. She said the Government has greater sensitivity and care for Manipur. She said, everyone wants the state to grow like other states. Ms Sitharaman said this while replying to a debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2025, the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill 2025, the Manipur Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2025 and The Manipur Appropriation Bill, 2025 in Rajya Sabha today. She said, that most States have a contingency fund that helps them meet emergent situations but Manipur never had a contingency fund and for this Government has allocated 500 crore rupees. She said, violence in Manipur has adversely impacted economic activities in the state but expressed confidence that it will recover swiftly. Ms Sitharaman said the Union Home Minister and Minister of State for Home visited the state as part of the Centre’s efforts to bring normalcy. During the discussion, the Finance Minister expressed disappointment over opposition MPs not focusing on the Manipur Budget but instead focusing on political viewpoints.
On criticism of the Make in India policy by the opposition, Ms Sitharaman said, the initiative has given great momentum to manufacturing. She said, manufacturing was just a policy for the Congress and opposition and there was no implementation. The Minister dismissed concerns over rising household debt, asserting that India’s financial position remains stronger than many emerging market economies and some of the developed nations. She also dismissed concerns over widening income inequality, stating that urban and rural consumption inequality has declined significantly.
The Appropriation Bill, 2025 seeks to provide for the authorisation of appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the amount spent on certain services during the financial year ended on the 31st day of March 2022, in excess of the amounts granted for those services and for that year.
The Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2025 seeks to authorise payment and appropriation of certain further sums from the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of 2024-25. The Manipur Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2025 provides for the withdrawal of certain sums from the Consolidated Fund of Manipur for the services of a part of 2025-26. The Manipur Appropriation Bill, 2025 seeks to authorise payment and appropriation of certain further sums from the Consolidated Fund of Manipur for the services of 2024-25.
After the Finance Minister’s reply, the Upper House gave its approval to return the four bills to the Lok Sabha.