'Banks were looted to benefit friends': Anurag Thakur blasts Congress, says all 12 banks are in profit today

BJP MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday said the Modi government had turned around the baking sector, which was badly hurt during the Congress-led UPA era. Addressing an intellectual conference at the Chandigarh BJP office, Thakur said, "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, 11 out of 12 banks were in loss and many were on the verge of closure. Today all 12 banks are in net profit. Their market cap of Rs 4 lakh crore has increased to more than Rs 17 lakh crore." 

Thakur said the profit of the SBI Bank alone had reached Rs 60,000 crore. "During the Congress regime, banks were looted to benefit friends. Today, Mudra Yojana has been launched for the benefit of the poor," the former minister said. 

Thakur also spoke on the budget allocation to the railways. "If you just look at the railway budget, you will see that, we have given more than what UPA gave in 30 years. The kind of development of roads, railways, education, and health that happened during our government, if we compare it with the 10 years of Congress, then they don't stand anywhere."

During the address, Thakur said this budget will accelerate the country's path to emerging as a developed nation by ushering in a new era of employment and opportunities.

On Saturday, Union Minister of State for Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra said Himachal Pradesh will benefit a lot from the Union Budget 2024-25 and receive Rs 10,351.82 crore from the central funds which will give a boost to developmental activities in the state. 

Addressing a press conference, he said enormous funds are being spent on the construction of highways, tunnels, and the expansion of the railway network. A sum of Rs 1,681 crore will be spent on the 4.1-km Shinkula Tunnel connecting Lahaul in Himachal and Zanskar in Ladakh located at an altitude of 15,800 feet. Its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26. The road will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

The minister also informed that a sum of Rs 2,698 has been allocated for railway projects in the state, which include Bhanupali-Bilaspur, Nangal-Talwara, and Chandigarh-Baddi railway lines besides turning four railway stations including Shimla into world-class stations.