New Delhi, March 27 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that there is no proposal to impose a lockdown in the country in the wake of the West Asia war, and asked politicians to refrain from spreading rumors and creating a sense of fear among the people.
The minister also said that the government will remain vigilant to keep the fiscal deficit under control while ensuring that the burden of rising global crude oil prices does not fall on the common man.
Responding to a discussion on the Finance Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said that while several countries have increased motor fuel prices by 20-50 per cent, India has kept the rates of petrol and diesel unchanged.
Earlier in the day, the government reduced excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 each to ensure that oil marketing companies do not increase pump prices.
"I think we will be following the same pattern (fiscal prudence as in the past). We will be able to maintain a carefully managed government fiscal stance. Also, there will be efforts to generate more revenue through non-tax sources...We will be on our toes," Sitharaman said.
Later, the Rajya Sabha returned the Finance Bill to the Lok Sabha by voice vote, thus completing the budgetary exercise for the next fiscal year, starting April 1.