"We are trying to transform India's economy where there is a premium on honesty... We switched over from a system which promotes it (corruption, dubious political funding, bribery) into a more ethical system which the developing economies in the world has followed," Jaitley told Times Now.
Jaitley said the cap on cash transactions is being reduced to curb generation of black money and the move to introduce electoral bonds is for cleansing the political funding
Turning tables on Congress and left thinkers, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday accused them of practising "ideological intolerance" towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and trying to project India as an intolerant society through structured and organised propaganda.
The fiscal deficit in current fiscal has been estimated at 3.9%.
The FM has been making efforts to make the taxation laws simpler.
Jaitley further said the country would eventually move to a two-tier GST, however, this depends on the revenue position of the government.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said domestic private sector investments have been slow and high cost of capital was also affecting several sectors.
Investors want lower securities tax, tax breaks on equity investments.
All credit to the finance minister for walking the fiscal and expectation tightrope extremely well in his budget speech, says Ganesh Natarajan.
There are four public sector general insurance companies.
Hitting out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday accused him and Aam Aadmi Party leaders of lowering the level of public discourse saying vulgarity is not a right available to people in positions.
In his poll rallies, Modi framed Pitroda's comments in his wider onslaught against the Congress, asserting that they have exposed its hidden agenda and that the party has become so removed from the country's social and family values that it wants to legally rob people of their assets and lifelong savings they want to bequeath to their children.
Quoting Modi's oft-repeated statement that participation of states was important for country's growth, the finance minister said the government will take states along and address their issues.
The test of Jaitley's undoubted intellectual brilliance will be how he builds consensus and crafts policies that survive over a period of time.
Jaitley said focus is on larger expenditure on social sector.
Jaitley said the judgment elaborates at length the constitutional philosophy behind the Constitution and reaffirms precisely the text of what the Constitution says.
Jaitley said the government had earmarked Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) for recapitalisation.
Joining thousands at San Francisco's Marina Green Park, the finance minister spoke of the advantages of practising yoga and thanked those who helped in making the event a success.
India must carry on structural reforms, the finance minister said.
"A solution has been put on the table. It is for Andhra Pradesh to decide whether they want the resources or they want to make an issue (out of it)," he said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who is in Davos to showcase India as an investment destination at the World Economic Forum (WEF), on Wednesday promised India has a "lot in the pipeline" for global investors even as he plans to take up with Switzerland the issue of black money stashed in banks there.
Jaitley said the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes returned to currency chests of the RBI amounted to Rs 12.44 lakh crore
An amendment in the 2013 bill was necessary, said Jaitley.
Taking a dig at the Congress over frequent disruptions in the Rajya Sabha, Jaitley said, "Those who claim the legacy of Panditji must ask themselves the question, what kind of history are they making."
Arun Jaitley had a tough fiscal hill to climb.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government would take bold decisions and pursue path of fiscal prudence to revive economy.
Jaitley said if interest rates were lowered, the economy could grow faster than 7-7.5 per cent.
With the creation of the state of Telangana, additions were made to ToRs of the 14th Finance Commission to make recommendations for the newly created states after the reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh.
'Let the bankers take all steps to recover their money.'
Manufacturing taxes, VAT will come down, assures Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it is imperative to maintain high growth rates.
There are NPAs on account of the industrial downturn in sectors like steel, infrastructure and power.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was on Monday named as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, while Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad was declared the Leader of the Opposition.
Going down the memory lane while addressing a function of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in New Delhi, he said: "I started out with a hidden desire of becoming a CA. I strayed into other activities and then preferred Law because at that time also the CA exam was difficult."
There were two questions everyone wanted to know the answer to. 1. Did Raghuram Rajan advise the Congress on the much-discussed NYAY scheme, as claimed by Rahul Gandhi? 2. Will Raghuram Rajan become India's next finance minister?
Rubbishing Congress' claim of having blacklisted AgustaWestland, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said he had as defence minister in June 2014 put the transaction to buy 12 helicopters from the Italian firm on hold and in July barred any future contract with it.
The government on Friday announced some concessions for mutual fund industry and income tax payers, while comitting to low tax regime to promote industrial activity to generate jobs and create more resources to undertake social welfare activities.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on his maiden visit as minister to Washington, DC, addresses two think thanks, leaves American Establishment impressed, reports Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com.
The finance minister is in Singapore for The Singapore Summit.
Jaitley said the government has created transparent environment.
