On Cam: FM Sitharaman's Scathing Jibe at Congress Over 1991 Economic Reforms

Livemint

Published10 Aug 2026, 08:13 PM IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the 1991 reforms were undertaken amid an acute balance of payments crisis, making them reforms of compulsion rather than choice after decades of statism. She highlighted a fundamental shift from 2000 under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when economic development, physical connectivity and digital infrastructure moved to the top of the national agenda. Sitharaman pointed to the telecom revolution and UPI’s success in empowering small entrepreneurs as examples of technology-driven inclusive growth.