New Delhi: The Budget Session of the Parliament began on Thursday. On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall. In his address, he counted the achievements of the Centre.
The President made lots of new announcements. Let's have a look at all the new announcements made in view of the Indian economy.
- A decision has been taken to increase the income support to farmers by extending the coverage under ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’, to every farmer in the country. A ‘Pension Scheme’ for them has also been approved
- To reduce farmers expense on the treatment of cattle-related diseases Government has also decided to start a special scheme with an allocation of Rs 13,000 crore
- A separate ‘Pension Scheme’ has been approved for small shopkeepers and retail traders. About 3 crore small shopkeepers in the country will benefit from this scheme
- The creation of the new ‘Ministry of Jalshakti’ is a decisive step to save water, which will have far-reaching benefits. Through this new Ministry, the systems related to water conservation and management will be made more effective
- Large scale investments have been made to strengthen rural India. In order to enhance agriculture productivity, an investment of Rs. 25 lakh crore will be made in the coming years
- With the provision of storage for farm produce, the economic security of the farmers is strengthened. Now the storage facility will be provided to the farmers near their village through the ‘Grameen Bhandaran Yojana’
- The benefit of cooperatives in the agriculture sector is being availed by the farmers in the dairy business. In other areas of agriculture also, the target is to create 10,000 new ‘Farmer Producer Organisations’ to benefit the farmers
- About 1.5 lakh post offices in the country are being prepared to provide banking services through ‘India Post Payment Bank’. Government's goal is to utilise the postman as a mobile bank to bring banking services to every doorstep
- Objective is to set up about 1.5 lakh ‘Health and Wellness Centres’ in all rural areas by 2022. So far, about 18,000 such Centres have already been operationalised
- To empower the women are also being given priority in the registration of houses built under ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ in the rural areas. Under this scheme, nearly 2 crore new houses will be built in the villages during the next three years
- Government is committed to make women equal stakeholders in the country’s development and prosperity. Efforts will be made in collaboration with industry and corporate sector to provide better employment opportunities to women. In addition, in Government procurement, priority will be given to those enterprises where women’s participation in the workforce is more than the prescribed limit
- An effort will now be made to cover 30 crore people by expanding Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna scheme. A facility for entrepreneurs to avail loan up to Rs. 50 lakh without any guarantee will also be introduced. Apart from this, new employment opportunities will be generated through appropriate policies in sectors which have the potential to accelerate the economy
- To improve the start-up ecosystem, the Government is simplifying the rules. Goal is to establish 50,000 start-ups in the country by 2024
- It is our responsibility to provide appropriate opportunities, environment and quality education to enhance the talent of children. In this regard, the ‘Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme’ will be started
- Work is underway in full earnest to transform India into a Global Manufacturing Hub. Keeping in view Industry 4.0, a New Industrial Policy will be announced shortly. Now the goal is to be among the top 50 countries of the world. In order to achieve this, process of simplification of rules will be further expedited in collaboration with the States
- Keeping in view the interests of small traders, Government has launched a New Pension Scheme for them. ‘National Traders Welfare Board’ will be constituted shortly, and ‘National Retail Trade Policy’ will be formulated to promote retail business. Accident insurance of up to Rs. 10 lakh will also be provided to all traders registered under GST
- In order to ensure that entrepreneurs associated with MSME sector do not face any problem in accessing credit, the credit guarantee coverage is being enhanced to Rs. 1 lakh crore
- Government will make the Zero Tolerance Policy against corruption more comprehensive and effective. The mission to eliminate corruption from public life and Government services will be implemented with greater zeal. Towards this objective, Minimum Government - Maximum Governance will be further emphasised. In addition, use of technology will be maximised to reduce Human Interface. Appointment of Lokpal will also promote transparency
- DBT will be further expanded in the coming days. President urged the State Governments to use DBT in more and more schemes
- Under the ‘Bharatmala Project’, construction or upgradation of about 35,000 kilometers of National Highways is to be undertaken by 2022. In addition, under the ‘Sagarmala Project’, a network of good quality roads is being constructed in coastal areas and areas adjoining ports
- Government has set a target of about 270 crore litres for ethanol blending. Enhancing the use of blended ethanol will not only benefit our farmers but also safeguard the environment. Further, it will reduce import of petroleum products thus saving foreign exchange
- Under the ‘Namami Gange’ scheme, Government will further accelerate the campaign for closure of drains releasing effluents in the river Ganga. On the lines of river Ganga, the Government will also endeavour to clean up other rivers such as Kaveri, Periyar, Narmada, Yamuna, Mahanadi and Godavari
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