Budget historic, all-inclusive, will energise growth: PM Modi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described the Union Budget as all-inclusive and a historic one that will lend a “new pace and energy to India’s growth”.

The PM hailed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for a Budget that “promotes sustainable and green growth and touches the lives of everyone from artisans and craftsmen, poor, women and the youth to the expanding middle class”. The PM said, “The Budget grants priority to the marginalised.”

Describing the “hard-working middle class as a major contributor to India’s growth”, the PM said, “The middle class like the youth is a major power. Our government has ensured ease of living for them, given them tax rebates and simplified tax procedures. This Budget will further empower the middle class,” the PM said in a year when nine states will go to elections followed by the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.

The PM said the Budget provided for the first time a new scheme to ensure training, credit and market support to crores of artisans and craftsmen involved in manual work.

“This Budget, through the PM Vikas scheme, will transform the lives of a crore craftspersons whose list is endless,” said the PM hailing the Budget for priority to women with self-help groups to be strengthened further.

“Women SHGs have acquired a huge potential and can perform miracles with a little push. The Budget will strengthen these SHGs. It also launches a new small savings scheme, which will benefit women of common households,” the PM said, adding that the Budget would create job opportunities for urban and rural women.

In a major announcement, the PM, hailing the Budget’s push to agriculture sector digitisation, said, “The digital payment success has to be replicated in the agriculture sector. The digital agricultural infrastructure programme will be a huge scheme to this end.”

The PM specially lauded the FM for giving a new identity to millets by calling the coarse grain “Shree Anna”.

“The super food will now be called Shree Anna. This new identity to millets will empower Indian farmers economically and improve the health of people,” the PM noted.

He noted that the Budget’s continuing premium to infrastructure with Rs 10 lakh crore infusion this time and said, “Since 2014, we have seen a 400 per cent rise in the infrastructure Budget.”

The PM said MSMEs would benefit from the increase in the presumptive tax limit and the guarantee of Rs 22 lakh crore of additional loans.

‘For marginalised’

• The PM hailed Finance Minister Sitharaman for a Budget that promotes sustainable and green growth
• The middle class is a major power and we have ensured ease of living for them, said PM Modi
• There has been 400 per cent increase in infra Budget since 2014, said Modi
• The Budget grants priority to the marginalised, he said

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