PM to address 12 webinars for effective execution of Budget initiatives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 12 post-Budget webinars as part of efforts by the union ministries to build on the "Saptarishi" priorities outlined in the Union Budget presented in Parliament on February 1.

The webinars will be focussed on synergizing efforts of various ministers and departments and all concerned stakeholders towards the preparation of action plans with quarterly targets so that the implementation is front-ended and smooth with the timely achievement of intended outcomes.

The idea of post-budget webinars was conceptualized by PM Modi to bring together all stakeholders for bringing synergy in the implementation of Budget announcements.

These webinars are being organised by various Ministries and departments to build on the "Saptarishi" priorities outlined in the Union Budget 2023-24.

The government has undertaken several budgetary reforms in the past few years including preponing the budget to February 1 so that ministries and departments get sufficient time for utilization of the funds on the ground before the onset of monsoons. The post Budget webinars bring together experts from the public and private sectors, academia, industry and practitioners on the field on a single platform and collaboratively work on implementation strategies across sectors.

These webinars were started in 2021 in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari and encourage involvement and ownership of all concerned stakeholders in effective, quick and seamless implementation of the Budget announcements.

An official release said the webinars are being held virtually to ensure wide participation.

PM Modi will address the first post-budget webinar on Green Growth on February 23 at around 10 am. It is the first of a series of 12 post-budget webinars being organized by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of the initiatives announced in Union Budget.

The webinar will have six breakout sessions covering both energy and non-energy components of Green Growth. Union Ministry of Power is the lead ministry for this webinar.

Green growth is one of the seven top priorities of the Union Budget 2023-24 for ushering in the country green industrial and economic transition, environmental friendly agriculture and sustainable energy.

It will also generate large number of green jobs. The Union Budget has envisaged a number of projects and initiatives spread across various sectors and ministries - Green Hydrogen Mission, energy transition, energy storage projects, renewable energy evacuation, Green Credit Programme, PM-PRANAM, GOBARdhan Scheme, Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource Centres, MISHTI, Amrit Dharohar, Coastal Shipping and Vehicle Replacement.

An official release said each post-budget webinar will have three sessions.

It will start with a plenary opening session which would be addressed by the Prime Minister. This will be followed by separate breakout sessions on various themes which would take place in parallel.

Finally, the ideas from the breakout sessions would be presented during the plenary concluding session. Based on inputs received during the webinar, concerned ministries would prepare a time-bound action plan for the implementation of budget announcements.

The webinar on February 24 will be 'Agriculture and cooperatives'.

The webinar on February 25 will be on 'Harnessing youth power -- skilling and education', the webinar on February 27 on 'Reaching the last mile/leaving no citizen behind' and webinar on February 28 is themed 'Unleashing the potential: Ease of living using technology'.

The webinar on March 1 will be on 'Urban Development with focus on planning', March 3 webinar will be focused on 'Developing tourism in mission mode' and March 4 webinar is themed 'Infrastructure and investment: Improving logistic efficiency with PM Gatishakti National Master Plan'.

March 6 webinar is titled 'Health and Medical Research'; March 7 webinar will be on 'Financial sector', March 10 webinar will be on 'Women empowerment' and March 11 will highlight 'PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman'.

The government had proposed to increase capital expenditure outlay by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore in 2023-24, which would be 3.3 percent of the GDP in the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"(This outlay) would be 3.3 per cent of GDP, almost three times the outlay made in 2019-20. With substantial increase, it is central to government's efforts to enhance growth potential and job creation, crowd in private investments and provide cushion against global headwinds," Sitharaman said in her Budget speech in Parliament

Further, the government proposed to increase the agricultural credit target to Rs 20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, Sitharaman said. The agriculture sector of the country has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent in the last six years.

In her Budget speech, Sitharman announced that an Agriculture Accelerator Fund will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs.

The government proposed to increase the agricultural credit target to Rs 20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, Sitharaman told Parliament. The agriculture sector of the country has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent in the last six years.

"Will launch a sub-scheme of the existing PM Matsya Sampada Yojana scheme to improve value chain efficiencies," she had said.

The government proposed a capital outlay of about Rs 2.40 lakh crore for railways, said Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 in Lok Sabha.This budgeted outlay for the railways, Sitharaman told Parliament, is the highest ever and nine times of what it was in 2013.

Overall, the government proposed to increase capital expenditure outlay by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore in 2023-24.

Sitharaman also announced that 50 additional airports, helipads, water aero drones, and advanced landing grounds will be revived to improve regional air connectivity in the country.

She said the government proposes an extension of the date of incorporation for income tax benefits to start-ups from March 31, 2023, to March 31, 2024.