He said that the budget meets all the challenges that the economy faces today including sustaining high growth rates.

He said that adequate provisions have been made for infrastructure and social sector as well as agricultural development.

Dr. Manmohan Singh said it is important to curb inflationary expectation and for this it is necessary to consolidate fiscal deficit. He said that Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has done a commendable job on this front.

He said, the budget signals that the government is reform oriented. He said, the Finance Minister has talked about plans to bring in legislation like one on insurance and pension fund regulation. On black money, he said that it has to be dealt in a holistic manner.