Ms Sitharaman said the BJP has got the people's blessings twice, and will get it again.
The people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unwavering and this gave the government the confidence to focus on maintaining fiscal discipline without reducing the allocation for welfare schemes, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.
In her first post-Budget interview to a private channel, Ms Sitharaman told NDTV on Friday that people who attend the PM's programmes say that they have got houses and benefits from other schemes, and also appreciate the fact that they receive the exact amounts promised by the government straight in their bank accounts.
Speaking a day after presenting the Interim Budget, the Finance Minister said in Hindi, "We are confident because, in the last 10 years, we have consistently launched schemes that benefit the people. And we don't just launch the schemes, we ensure that the benefits reach the last person in the queue... During the PM's programmes, the beneficiaries come to us and tell us themselves that they have got houses, electricity, tap water and that if we promise them Rs 1,000, for instance, the entire amount is credited directly into their accounts."
“This is why we are confident that we have got the people's blessings twice and will get it again. The people's confidence in Prime Minister Modi is unshakeable and that gives us confidence,” she added.
The finance minister said the Prime Minister had advised her that this is a vote on account and that consultations should be held before the full Budget in July. She said he told her to give a complete account in the Budget statement and maintain fiscal discipline without cutting any allocations for welfare schemes.
"At the beginning of the Budget session, the PM had said that the Budget will be direction-setting," she said.
Asked why no populist schemes were announced in the last Budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Ms Sitharaman said, "Everyone was confident that the people understand that the schemes are reaching them and that the government has been transparent. The mood (among the people) is that the government should be supported... I think PM Modi has maintained discipline in financial management since he was a chief minister."