Budget Session: The Congress is likely to bring a 'Black Paper' in response to the 'White Paper' set to be brought by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government in Lok Sabha in the ongoing budget session of Parliament, news agency ANI reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The grand old party’s 'Black Paper' will be on Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government's 10 years of governance, the sources further stated. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to bring the 'Black Paper', they added.
Earlier, the central government had announced in the union budget unveiled on February 1 that it would release a 'White Paper' to compare the economic performance of the Congress-led UPA government's 10-year tenure with that of the BJP-led NDA government's 10-year tenure.
On Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the ongoing Budget session has been extended by a day as the government prepares to present the 'white paper'.
What Is 'White Paper' ?
The 'white paper' is proposed by the Centre to compare the economic situation before and after 2014. Chairman of the parliamentary finance committee, Bharatiya Janata Party's Jayant Sinha, said that the ‘white paper’ will shed light on the country's "poor economic condition" during that time and how the PM Modi-led government improved the economy.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman first mentioned the ‘white paper’ in her budget speech, stating that India was in a "crisis" in 2014 when the BJP came to power to put the economy on a sustainable growth path. A 'white paper' is a report carrying information that highlights policies, achievements, and issues of the government.
According to Stanford Law School, Government papers are color-coded for distribution, and white is designated for public access. The ‘white paper’ is brought by governments on a particular subject to discuss issues, suggest action, or draw a conclusion.