'Against India's progress': Karnataka Minister blasts Rahul Gandhi for comments on NMP

Attacking Congress on Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at the BJP for National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr. CN Ashwathnarayan said that those attempting to generate misunderstanding regarding the National Monetisation Pipeline are working against India's prosperity.

"Those who are against India's progress are the ones who are trying to create the confusion about National Monetisation Pipeline. The people who have looted the country for more than 60 years are trying to distract the public with their banal thoughts," tweeted Dr Ashwathnarayan.
 

The National Monetisation Pipeline, according to the BJP leader, is designed to gain by exploiting the current pool of underutilised resources."The National Monetisation Policy aims to leverage the existing pool of underutilised resources and gain from it. It means, putting your money into debt instruments/government bonds where returns are assured with no risk, instead of keeping them in your safe and depreciating its value," he said as reported by ANI.

"India has a government headed by the Prime Minister who acts not as a politician, but as Pradhan Sevak. He cares for the welfare of the common man and believes in the dharma of - Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas!" added the Karnataka minister.

Rahul Gandhi criticises National Monetisation Plan

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi earlier accused the BJP-led national government of "putting India up for sale" on Wednesday. "The very first thing they sold was respect and now #IndiaOnSale," tweeted the Congress leader.
 

Gandhi had previously described the centre's National Monetisation Pipeline as a "great disaster," claiming that the government had mismanaged the economy and that the measure was intended to create monopolies in particular sectors. Criticizing the centre, he said, "What this country has built over the last 70 years, is being given away. There is an excuse they have come up with that we are leasing these. The government clearly mishandled the economy and doesn't know what to do."

Former Congress President further added,

"The BJP and PM Modi say nothing happened in the last 70 years. But yesterday, the finance minister decided to sell the assets that have been built over the last 70 years. They (the government) have basically destroyed what the UPA built and now as a last resort, they are selling everything that we had helped create. To me, this is a huge tragedy.”

Nirmala Sitharaman launches National Monetisation Pipeline worth Rs. 6,00,000 crore

On August 23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Rs 6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that will unlock value in infrastructure assets across sectors ranging from power to road and railways.

"Asset monetisation does not involve selling of land and it is about monetising brownfield assets," she said. Projects have been identified across sectors, with roads, railways and power being the top segments.

"NMP estimates aggregate monetisation potential of Rs 6 lakh crores through core assets of central government over the four-year period from FY 2022 to FY 2025.  Ownership of assets will remain with the government and there will be a mandatory hand-back. Asset monetisation will unlock resources and lead to value unlocking," she said.

(With Inputs from ANI)

Image Credits: ANI