Eco ministry gets 10% more; Modi dubs it ‘green’ Budget

New Delhi, July 5

When PM Narendra Modi today congratulated Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman for her “citizen friendly, development friendly and future oriented” Budget, he made another observation, also calling it “green”. This is perhaps the first time a Union Budget has been described “green”.

The PM said the 2019-20 account focuses on environment, electric mobility, solar structure and pitches for a green and clean energy. While the FM increased the allocation for Environment Ministry by 10.4 per cent to take it to Rs 2,954.72 crore, her initiatives for promoting electric vehicles and reducing air pollution also drew attention.

Sitharaman allocated Rs 460 crore for controlling pollution, a head under which last year no funds were assigned. She said the government had identified 1,592 blocks, which were critical and overexploited, spread across 256 districts for Jal Shakti Abhiyan. The government will also explore possibility of using additional funds available under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority for the purpose. 

She said the government would use the LED bulb mission to promote the use of solar stoves and battery chargers in the country. “Approximately, 35 crore LED bulbs have been distributed under UJALA Yojana, leading to a saving of Rs 18,341 crore annually,” she said.  — TNS