Covid-19: Let Budget schemes kick in before asking about stimulus, says Nirmala Sitharaman

西塔拉曼：在询问刺激方案之前，先让预算方案生效

Battling crises has become second nature for finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. If it was the economic slowdown in 2019 when she took charge, now the Covid pandemic that hit India soon after in 2020 poses near-, medium- and long-term challenges. In an interview with TOI’s Sidhartha, Surojit Gupta and Rajeev Deshpande, the FM made it clear that funds will not be a problem either for healthcare or meeting other requirements of the economy, while maintaining that it was impossible to anticipate the speed and intensity with which the second wave hit the country. Excerpts:

应对危机已成为印度财长西塔拉曼的第二天性。她上任时恰逢2019年经济放缓，2020年不久之后，印度爆发了新冠肺炎，构成了近期、中期和长期的挑战。

印度时报的Sidhartha Surojit Gupta, Rajeev Deshpande采访财政部长时，她明确表示，对于医疗保健或满足经济的其他需求而言，资金都不是问题，同时她认为无法预测第二波疫情冲击印度的速度和强度。采访摘要：

How has the second wave affected GST collections?

第二波疫情对商品及服务税的征收有何影响?

It will certainly be better than what we used to get in October-November, but with some states under lockdown — and the e-way bills are indicating that — there could be some reduction. I want to maintain April’s level (of Rs 1.4 lakh crore). But I don’t see this dip as being something that will continue in the next few months. Last month was particularly bad, now we are already seeing that it is improving.

肯定会比去年10月到11月的情况要好，随着一些邦处于封锁状态，税收可能会有所减少。我希望保持4月份的水平(1.4万亿卢比)。我认为这种下滑不会在未来几个月持续下去。上个月的情况尤其糟糕，现在我们已经看到情况正在好转。

For the full year the revenue secretary said the compensation shortfall would be around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. States are suggesting a higher number...

财政部长表示，全年补偿缺口将在1.5万亿卢比左右。各邦暗示的数字更高……

Even last year there were calculations and calculations. There was also this thing about why you would want to differentiate between the protected revenue, based on (the promised) 14% growth, and the actual reduction in collections, resulting in a larger gap because of Covid. Debates will happen and I am very keen on hearing them. Even on Friday (when the GST Council met), I sat through it and heard everybody. The formula for compensation borrowing has been in place since last year. We will take it from there. This year itself if I get better revenues, last year’s dues, which have not been paid, can be paid. There is also this concern that after July 2022, once the cess collection stops, are we going to fall off the cliff because we won’t have anything to collect or share? For that, we will have a separate session.

就在去年，他们还进行了多次计算。还有一个问题就是，为什么你们希望区分受保护的税收(基于承诺的14%的增长)和实际税款的减少，这导致了由于疫情的出现而产生更大的差距。将会举行辩论，我非常想听到他们的辩论。即使是在周五(GST委员会开会的时候)，我也一直坐着听大家讲。补偿借款的公式自去年以来就已经存在。如果今年的税款收得多，去年未支付的款项就可以交了。还有一种担忧是，2022年7月之后，一旦停止征收，我们是否会因此摔下悬崖？为此，我们会另行开会讨论。

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Sainath Sunkara

I will stop hearing this lady ... i really dont understand how come at this pandemic times they are still thinking about politics than saving Indians

我不会再听这位女士说话了…我真的不明白，为什么在疫情时期，他们仍然考虑政治，而不考虑拯救国人

Andolan Jeevi

The worst FM in India’s history. No hurry.. let more people migrate from middle class to poor class..

她是印度历史上最差的财政部长。别急，更多的人将从中产阶级掉到穷人阶级。

Aditya Barat

Not fit for the role and underperforming FM.

她不适合担任印度财政部长，表现太差

Pranav Pathrikar

By far she is the worst FM in independent India. She has no clue about what she is talking. Misplaced priorities of this government make it look like running around like a headless chicken

到目前为止，她是印度独立以来最差的财政部长。她完全不知道自己在说什么。这届政府分不清轻重缓急，像一只无头苍蝇

Anjan Kesh

Covid came from China but India's economic disaster is a direct result of a incompetent and corrupt govt

印度的经济灾难是无能、腐 败的政府直接导致的

Chus Lee

Worst FM. What's her qualification? Just till few years back she was one of the spokesperson for BJP and suddenly she becomes Defence Minister which entails her becoming a member of CCS which has only 4 members and headed by the PM. Now she is FM.

最差的财政部长，她凭什么能担任这个职位?

就在几年前，她还是人民党发言人之一，突然间成了国防部长，这意味着她成为由总理领导的内阁安全委员会的4位成员之一。

现在她又成了财政部长。

Gaana User

Only the braindead bhakts will believe these clowns.

只有脑残的印度人才会相信这些小丑。

Farida Shaukath

Discusting FM india has ever had pack her back to selling her pickles she destroyed our economy by being as a puppet under modi and amit shahs guidance

她是一个傀儡，在莫迪和阿米特沙哈的指挥下，毁了我们的经济，

GSK Dummy

Sitharaman’s budget scheme is to increase taxes on everything.. bring inflation and then government gets a lot of money.. pay a bit of stimulus and bring more inflation and then charge more taxes.

西塔拉曼的预算计划是提高税收，带来通货膨胀，然后政府就会收到很多钱…给一点激励，带来更多的通货膨胀，然后征收更多的税。

Anil Kumar

Worst FM & PM India ever had. Destroying Everything

现任总理和财政部长是印度有史以来最差的，毁了一切

Quhesobi

We have been living under a curse ever since Feku came to power in 2014. Our economic growth hits 74-year low since Independence and we now even fall behind Bangladesh in GDP per capita and the Global Hunger Index.

自莫迪2014年上台以来，我们一直生活在诅咒之中。

我们的经济增长达到了自独立以来的74年低点，我们现在的人均GDP和全球饥饿指数甚至落后于孟加拉国。

Vinod

Worst, worst, worst, worst, Worst, worst, worst, worst, Worst, worst, worst, worst, Worst, worst, worst, worst, Worst, worst, worst, Worst FM of all history.

有史以来最差的财政部长

anonymous xyto

Kickout this incompetent gangubai

把这个无能之辈赶下台

Argha Bhar

How??

怎么赶？

Mana Baldia

Man do we miss Manmohan and Chidambaram. Pathetic.

我们真怀念曼莫汉和奇丹巴拉姆。可悲。

Pranav Kumar Jha

Never heard a word from her when covid was ravaging India 2 weeks ago.

两周前疫情肆虐时，她一声不吭。

downvote if u agree

I have observed her speeches and interviews since Day 1 in office. Initially it was just arrogant behaviour and asking those who question to shut up. Now after couple of years she hs got some training and is using some words and phrases that economists are using.

从她上任第一天就开始观察她的演讲和采访。最初只是傲慢，让那些提问的人闭嘴。

几年之后，她接受了一些培训，现在正在使用经济学家使用的一些术语。

Kamal Ahmad

Pathetic FM

可悲的财政部长

Eye Star

Modi the most politically dirtiest PM India ever had.

莫迪是印度有史以来最肮脏的总理。

Sikandar Khan

It has become the policy of every BJP minister to shift belame on congress 70 year old What the hell? When will you stand answerable. Fooling the public on every question has become their habit.

把矛头指向国大党已经成为每一位人民党部长的策略。

这到底是怎么回事?

你什么时候才能负起责任?

在每个问题上愚弄公众已经成为他们的习惯。

Sanjoy Pandey

All said and done, the middle class have been totally ignored in the budget.

中产阶级在预算中完全被忽视了。