Sitharaman told fishermen to increase their business by taking advantage of the services of Finance Ministry

Chennai/New Delhi, September 22 (HS). Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged fishermen to take advantage of the facilities provided through Kisan Credit Card. She said that this will boost their business.

The Union Finance Minister while addressing the 7th edition of Pondy Lit Fest held in Puducherry said that we are on the right track towards becoming a developed India by 2047. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set up a separate department to address issues related to fisheries. He said that institutional capacity building will play an important role in this.

Nirmala Sitharaman said that we have given priority to our national security. We have left no stone unturned in investing towards increasing our self-reliance in defense capabilities through decisions in line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat. She said that this was not the case during the previous government, when it was thought that investing on border villages is not the right thing to do for our national security.

In his address, the Finance Minister said that we will also need to prioritise the health of our banks, overall infrastructure, companies in the market and digitalisation of the Indian economy. He said that for a strong India, a safe India and a developed India by 2047, we have to ensure that the economic level of our citizens improves. They have to be taken from where they are today to a higher level – with a better standard of living and better access to opportunities.

Sitharaman said that India is a non-aggressive nation. We have always behaved friendly towards other countries, be it Vaccine Maitri or Operation Samudra Setu. However, countries cannot remain safe by staying isolated. She said that the unbalanced pursuit of national interests by some countries can create imbalance at the global level and we have to be prepared to face any such situation.

Earlier, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman interacted with her school teacher Savita during the Pondy Lit Fest. Savita taught Finance Minister Sitharaman at Holy Cross Girls High School in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. It is worth noting that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on an official visit to Tamil Nadu.