New Delhi, January 29: The Budget session 2018 commenced on Monday at 11 am with the speech of President Ram Nath Kovind in both the Houses. During his address, the President lauded the initiatives taken by the government over these years. “The govt has helped the economically backward by opening bank accounts under the Jan Dhan Yogna and has extended the maternity leave period to 26 weeks which has benefited lakhs of working women”, the President said.

The President said that 2.70 Lakh Common Service Centers have been set up across the nation. These Centers provide digital service at low rates for various services even in the far off remote areas. Talking about PM’s Mudra Yogna scheme, he said that the scheme has helped waiver off loans for small farmers. 3 crore people from the weaker sections have benefited. He said, “I hope the Triple Talaq Bill will be passed soon so that the Muslim women can live a life of dignity and without fear”.

The President said it's a matter of pride for India that UNESCO recognised Kumbh Mela as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. UNESCO also designated Ahmedabad as 'Heritage City'. Chennai was included in the list of Creative Cities by UNESCO. “To bring everyone closer to development, work under 'Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana' is being done speedily. In 2014 only 56% villages were connected to roads, today more than 82% villages have road connectivity with the majority being in remote areas. Work has started to connect villages with Broadband connectivity. 2.5 lakh Panchayats have already been connected so far” the President said.

During his address in both the Houses, the President said, “Our nation is the youngest nation. My govt started Start-Up India, Stand Up India, Skill India and Pradhanmantri Mudra Yojana to help the youth of the country to realise their dreams & make them self-employed”.

The President remembered Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi during his address today. He said Baba Saheb Ambedkar used to say that without economic and social democracy, political democracy is unstable. He said it is our duty that when we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in 2019 we pay tribute to him by making our country completely clean.

The Economic Survey shall be tabled by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in both houses of the parliament. The Government has said that it would talk to various parties to bring about consensus on the issue. Around 28 bills will be tabled in the Lok Sabha, while 39 bills are listed for the Rajya Sabha for the upcoming session. The session is likely to conclude on April 6, with 31 sittings spread over 68 days.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking to media outside the Parliament said that the current budget will fufill everyone's aspirations. “We should make use of our system of parliamentary committees and discuss aspects of the Budget. We should think about the well-being of rural India, farmers, Dalits, tribal communities and labourers”, the Prime Minister said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2018 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).