Producer: Mehak Pal Editor: Mohit Bisht

Interim Budget 2024: Key Highlights From The Speech

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim budget ahead of the end of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on February 1.

Here are key takeaways from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech.

Rooftop solarisation and free electricity

1 crore households will benefit from rooftop solarisation, providing up to 300 units of free electricity monthly.

Charging of electric vehicles

Entrepreneurship opportunities for vendors and employment prospects for youth skilled in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of electric vehicles.

Promotion of post-harvest activities

Government to promote private and public investment in post-harvest activities, including aggregation, modern storage, supply chains, processing, marketing, and branding.

Expansion of Nano DAP application

Following the success of nano urea, Nano DAP application on several crops will be expanded across agroclimatic zones.

Housing for the middle class

The government will launch a scheme to assist deserving sections of the middle class living in rented houses, slums, chawls, or unauthorized colonies to buy or build their own houses.

Expansion of medical colleges

The government plans to establish more medical colleges by utilizing existing hospital infrastructure.

Vaccination for girls

Encouragement of vaccination for girls aged 9 - 14 years to prevent cervical cancer.

Comprehensive maternal and child healthcare program

Various schemes under maternal and child healthcare are to be amalgamated into one comprehensive program.

Extension of Ayushman Bharat coverage

Government announces extension of healthcare coverage under Ayushman Bharat to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and helpers.

Agriculture and food processing

Intensified efforts in value addition to boost farmers' income, with a focus on reducing post-harvest losses.

Aatma Nirbhar Oilseeds Abhiyan

The government focuses on achieving self-reliance in oilseeds through research, adoption of modern farming techniques, market linkages, and crop insurance.

Dairy development program

Formulation of a comprehensive program to support dairy farmers, leveraging existing schemes to enhance productivity.

Matsya Sampada

The government promotes investments in fisheries to generate employment opportunities, with a separate department set up for fisheries.

Promoting investments

Government to take measures to encourage sustained foreign investment, including negotiating bilateral investment treaties. It also highlights the provision of Rs. 75,000 crores as interest-free loans to support milestone-linked reforms by state governments.

Societal changes

Formation of a high-powered committee to comprehensively address challenges arising from population growth and demographic changes with solutions.

Revised estimates for 2023-24

The revised estimate of fiscal deficit stands at 5.8% of GDP.

Tax proposals

Sitharaman proposed not to make any changes relating to taxation and retain the same tax rates for direct and indirect taxes including import duties.

next

News18 Afternoon Digest: Decoding Top Points of Sitharaman's 2024 Budget Speech And Other Top Stories