Check your facts, Nirmala Sitharaman tells nitpickers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said those who hurled jibes at her for not taking part in a recent brainstorming meet steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on reviving economy have got their facts wrong.

In view of another appointment that was finalised about a month prior to the pre-budget meet on January 9 at Niti Aayog, she could not participate in it, she said.

"After getting Prime Minister's approval, I took part in another event. But without knowing the facts in full, some people are making comments," she said.

While Nirmala faced flak from some, including netizens for not participating in the important meet, she said she knew her job and work on the union budget was on.

"Some are saying I am taking the role of Home Minister and going around the country explaining about CAA. We have our own duty.

This government is one and even though I travel across the country to speak on CAA, I focus on my work. We have got around 10 days to present the budget and that work is also going on," Sitharaman said in a meet here on CAA.

On comments in the recent past that she was announcing a "budget every Friday," which was a reference to booster measures for various sectors, the Union Minister said she such remarks were light hearted and came as a relief to her.

"It is good entertainment," she said.

The meet chaired by Prime Minister Modi discussed a range of issues to pep up growth, startups and innovation.

After deliberating with economists, private equity and venture capitalists, business leaders and agri experts, Modi called for focussed efforts from all stakeholders to achieve the target of nearly doubling the size of the Indian economy to USD 5 trillion by 2024.