Progressive, people-friendly Budget: PM
Prime Minister Modi underlines that it will benefit the poor and marginalised sections of society
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hailed the Budget as “progressive and people friendly”, saying it is replete with possibilities for “more infrastructure, investment, growth and jobs”.
Soon after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget, the Prime Minister underlined that it will benefit the poor and marginalised sections of society.
“The Budget this year comes with a new confidence of development amid the once in a century calamity. It will create new opportunities for the common people along with providing strength to the economy,” he said.
Referring to the provisions that aim at creating more jobs, the Prime Minister said the Budget will not only solve contemporary problems but also ensure a bright future for the youth and open opportunities for the green jobs sector.
Welfare of the poor, he said, is the focal point of the economic exercise and it aims to ensure a pucca house, toilet, tap water and gas connection for every economically marginalised household in the country.
“Welfare of the poor is one of the most important aspects of this Budget,” he said.
On the attention to sectors such as technology and infrastructure, Modi said the quest for modernity and technology in every sphere of life can be seen in steps being taken to provide drones for farmers, Vande Bharat trains, digital currency and a national digital health ecosystem and these will benefit the middle class, the youth and the socially and economically marginalised sections.
“The quest for modernity and technology in every sphere of life through steps such as drones for farmers, Vande Bharat trains, digital currency, 5 G services, national digital health ecosystem will hugely benefit our youth, middle class, poor, Dalit and backward classes.”
He said Parvatmala, a scheme being started for states such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and the North East, will ensure modem systems of transportation for the states with a hilly terrain. The scheme is aimed at strengthening infrastructure in border villages. The PM, who has in the past pushed for organic farming, said along with cleaning the river Ganga the government will encourage natural farming on the banks of the river in five states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
He said natural farming will serve the purpose of ensuring welfare of farmers as well as help in making the Ganga chemical-free.
The announcement of a special fund for encouraging new agricultural start-ups and a package for the food processing industry, he said, will contribute towards increasing the income of farmers.
More than ₹2.25 crore has been transferred to the accounts of farmers through MSP purchase, he said. The government has been working on doubling farm incomes and had set 2022 as the deadline for doing so.
Modi said India’s MSME sector will benefit from the reservation of 68% of the defence capital budget for the domestic industry and ₹7.5 lakh crore worth of public investment will give a push to the economy and create new opportunities for small and other industries.
“India’s MSME sector will be greatly benefitted by the reservation of 68 per cent of the Defence Capital Budget for the domestic industry. ₹7.5 lakh crore worth of public investment will give new push to the economy and create new opportunities for small and other industries”, he said.