Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday hit back at Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh after he questioned her over ‘Atal Pension Yojana’, calling it a ‘poorly designed scheme’.

It all started after Ramesh shared a news article that claimed about Atal Pension Yojana accounts being opened without approval.

“The “flagship” Atal Pension Yojana is a very poorly-designed scheme, a paper tiger that needs officials to hoodwink and coerce people into participating in it. It’s a fitting representation of the Modi Government’s policymaking: headline management, with few benefits actually reaching the people!” Ramesh had said in a post on X.

The finance minister hit back at Ramesh, accusing him of using ‘verbal sophistry’ to hide facts, and alleged that the Congress leader is either being ‘malicious’ or ‘ignorant’ of the basic tenets of designing a good pension scheme.

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The Congress leader was quick to respond to the minister, arguing,”It is refreshing that the Finance Minister has admitted that the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is coercive and forces people to enrol without their consent. It is a very simple fact – the Indian Council of Social Science Research’s study shows that banks are taking money from people’s accounts under the name of APY.”

“The FM hides this reality behind “verbal sophistry” like “best practice choice architecture” and various foreign academics, a community often derided by her boss,” the Congress leader added.

Responding to Ramesh’s posts, the minister launched a fresh counterattack, calling him a ‘spin doctor’. 

“Surprised that @Jairam_Ramesh plays a spin doctor here. You say: “Finance Minister has admitted that the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is coercive and forces people to enrol without their consent.” When there is no coercion or force at all, where have I admitted any such! Under APY, Direct Debit is only allowed with consent of the subscriber. At the time of application, a subscriber gives express & explicit authorization indicating contribution amount, frequency of contribution and auto-debit from his/her bank account,” she said. The minister then presented her arguments to counter Ramesh’s attacks on the Atal Pension Yojana.

“@INCIndia ’s empty sloganeering of ‘Garibi Hatao’ has never worked because your focus and commitment was absent. The motto of @narendramodi and the GoI is to deliver on the ground which helps the poor & the vulnerable,” she added.