Budget  2009-2010 
Speech  of

Pranab Mukherjee
Minister of Finance

Madam Speaker,

I rise to present the Budget for 2009-10.

2.  Just 140 days back, I had the privilege to present the Interim Budget for 2009-10. It is a rare honour that I have been called upon to present the regular budget after the new Government assumed office.

3. The Congress-led UPA Government has come back to power with a renewed mandate. As Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said recently ''It is a mandate for continuity, stability and prosperity. It is a mandate for inclusive growth and equitable development.'' It is a mandate that we accept with humility and a firm resolve to do all that we can for the welfare of this nation.

4. I am deeply conscious of the faith reposed by the people in our government and the responsibilities that come with it. I am sensitive to the great challenge of rising expectations of a young India .  It reflects a population that is restless, yet engaged and is ready to seize the opportunities that it is presented with. There are new and powerful reasons for us to create, facilitate and sustain those opportunities.