- February 1, 2024
Budget Highlights 2024 Live Updates: Indian economy witnessed profound positive transformation in last 10 yrs, Sitharaman says – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday made history by presenting her sixth consecutive budget, matching the record set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, just ahead of the Parliamentary elections.
Interim Budget: Sitharaman’s pre-election budget, technically termed a vote on account, seeks Parliament’s approval for an advance grant to cover essential expenditures for the first four months of the upcoming fiscal year starting in April.A new government, post the April/May general elections, is slated to present the full budget, expectedly in July.
Here are the key highlights of the interim budget:
Interim Budget: Sitharaman’s pre-election budget, technically termed a vote on account, seeks Parliament’s approval for an advance grant to cover essential expenditures for the first four months of the upcoming fiscal year starting in April.A new government, post the April/May general elections, is slated to present the full budget, expectedly in July.
Here are the key highlights of the interim budget:
- India assumed G20 presidency during very difficult times, global economy was going through high inflation, low growth, high interest rates, very high public debt and climate changes. Pandemic has led to a crisis of food, fertilizer, fuel and finances while India successfully navigated its way and showed the world the way forward: FM
- Health cover under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be extended to all ASHA and Anganwadi workers and helpers: Sitharaman
- Empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living and dignity has gained momentum in last 10 years. The govt has given 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans to woman entrepreneurs: FM
- PM Mudra Yojana has sanctioned 43 crore loans amounting to Rs 22.5 lakh crore for entrepreneurial aspirations of your youth: Sitharaman
- Direct benefit transfer of Rs 34 lakh crore through Jan Dhan accounts have resulted in savings of Rs 2.7 lakh crore: FM Sitharaman
- Poor, women, youth and farmers are the four castes for the government, Sitharaman says
- We need to focus on the poor, women, youth and farmers/annadata. Their needs and aspirations and welfare are our highest priority. All four require and receive government support, their empowerment and well being will drive the country forward: FM
- When the poor became empowered partners in development process, government’s power to assist them increases manifold. In the last 10 years, the government has assisted 25 crore people to get freedom from multidimensional poverty: Sitharaman
- We focus on outcomes and not on outlays so that the social economic transformation is achieved, says Sitharaman
- Structural reforms, pro-people programme & employment opportunities helped economy get new vigour: FM
- Our govt is working towards development which is all round, all inclusive and all pervasive. It covers all castes and people at all levels. We are working towards making India a Viksit Bharat by 2047: Sitharaman
- In second term, the government strengthened its mantra and our development philosophy covered all elements of inclusivity, namely social and geographical. With a whole of nation approach, the country overcame challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, took long strides towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and laid solid foundations for Amrit Kaal: FM
- Indian economy has witnessed profound transformation in the last 10 years. In 2014, the country was facing enormous challenges, the government overcame those challenges and undertook structural reforms, pro people reforms were undertaken, conditions for jobs and entrepreneurship were set in, fruits of development started reaching people at scale, country got a sense of new purpose and hope: Sitharaman
- The Union Cabinet, headed by PM Modi, on Thursday approved the pre-election budget 2024-25.
- Sitharaman first called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan ahead of the Budget presentation in Parliament on Thursday morning.
- Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday again took a digital tablet wrapped in a traditional ‘bahi-khata’ style pouch as she headed for Parliament to present the interim Budget 2024-25 in a paperless format just like the previous three years. She posed for the traditional ‘briefcase’ picture outside her office, along with her team of officials, before heading to meet the President.
