india

Updated: Jan 31, 2019 12:54 IST

President Ramnath Kovind, in his address to the joint session of Parliament, said on Thursday that the induction of Rafale aircraft into the air force will make India stronger. The government has been facing opposition fire over the multi-crore aircraft deal.

The NDA government signed a deal with Dassault aviation for 36 Rafale fighter planes. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the new deal is overprices compared to the one agreed upon by the UPA government and alleged that the norms were changed.

Addressing the Parliament at the beginning of the Budget Session, President Kovind said, “After decades, the Indian Air Force will induct new generation and modern aircraft Rafale into its fleet.”

Highlighting the governments achievements, the President said 21 crore poor people were covered under the PM’s life insurance scheme, while over 2 crore households got power connection as part of the PM’s Saubhagya scheme. “Under Swachh Bharat initiative, the government has built nine crore toilets,” he said.

President Kovind spoke at length about the steps government had taken to uproot corruption. “Demonetisation helped crack down on black money. A special investigation team (SIT) was also formed to track such crimes,” he said.

The government brought strict laws for sectors flush with black money and signed agreements with ‘tax haven’ countries to curb money laundering, he added.

The President said the NDA government has been trying to pass the triple talaq bill to empower Muslim women so that they can live a life without fear. “

“The country was going through times of uncertainty before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and after the polls my government resolved to make a New India,” the president said.