Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the eighth consecutive Budget of the NDA government, outlined a blueprint for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and made key announcements focused primarily on four segments — women, youth, farmers, and the poor.
The Finance Minister announced the implementation of schemes to facilitate and scale up toy manufacturing, thereby giving a boost to the ‘Make in India’ campaign.
She also revealed plans to establish a toy manufacturing ecosystem and clusters aimed at creating a skilled workforce.
Highlighting the inclusive nature of the budget, Sitharaman stated that it addresses the aspirations of GYAN — an acronym for Garib, Yuva, Annadata, and Nari Shakti — representing the poor, youth, farmers, and women.
To empower marginalized groups, the Finance Minister announced a new scheme for five lakh women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes, offering loans of up to ₹2 crore for first-time entrepreneurs.
She further announced social security measures for one crore gig workers and confirmed that ID cards would be issued to help them access government services.
In the agricultural sector, Sitharaman introduced measures to benefit 1.75 crore farmers across the country.
“Motivated by the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme, the Centre, in collaboration with state governments, will launch the Prime Minister Krishi Yojana to enhance agricultural development,” the minister stated.
In addition to these announcements, Sitharaman unveiled transformative reforms across six domains aimed at boosting India’s growth potential and global competitiveness. These domains include taxation, the power sector, urban development, mining, the financial sector, and regulatory reforms.
The Budget Session of Parliament, which began on January 31, will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will continue until February 13, while the second phase will commence on March 10 and conclude on April 4.
(Inputs from IANS)