Jaitley presented an 'Uttam' Budget: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the general budget presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and terming it as an 'Uttam' budget.

"The Finance Minister has presented an 'Uttam' Budget, devoted to strengthening the hands of the poor. This Budget is yet again devoted to the well-being of the villages, farmers and the poor," he said.

Prime Minister Modi added that special emphasis has been given to women empowerment in the budget.

"The Housing sector stands to gain immensely from the Budget. This Budget will help small businesses to become competitive in the global market," the Prime Minister said.

Highlighting the efforts by the government to eliminate corruption, Prime Minister Modi said, "The commitment to eliminate corruption and black money is reflected in the Budget."

Talking about the merger of Railway Budget and General Budget, he said, "The merger of the Railway Budget with the General budget will give an impetus to the transport sector's growth. Railway budget has focused on railway safety fund."

He further said the aim of the government is to double the income of farmers and an important link between all the steps taken in the last two and a half years and the development in future that will follow.