Page 71 - Nirmala Sitharaman

Govt to set up committee to look into population growth challenges, says FM

The government will form a high-powered committee to look into the challenges arising from fast population growth and demographic changes, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. Presenting the interim Budget 2024-2025 in Parliament, she said the committee will be mandated to make recommendations for addressing these challenges comprehensively in relation to the goal of 'Viksit Bharat'. Sitharaman said various schemes for maternal and child healthcare will be brought under one comprehensive programme for synergy in implementation. "Upgradation of anganwadi centres under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 will be expedited for improved nutrition delivery, early childhood care and development," she stated.

Women empowerment via entrepreneurship gained momentum in 10 years: FM

The empowerment of women through entrepreneurship and ease of living has gained momentum in the last 10 years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday while highlighting that female enrolment in higher education has gone up by 28 per cent in the period. Presenting the interim Budget 2024-25, she said 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women entrepreneurs. "Female enrolment in higher education has gone up by 28 per cent in 10 years. In STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) courses, girls and women constitute 43 per cent of enrolment - one of the highest in the world," the minister said. The "empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living, and dignity for them has gained momentum in these ten years", the minister said, adding that all these measures are getting reflected in the increasing participation of women in the workforce. "Making triple talaq illegal, reservation of one-third seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state ...

Govt targeting to help 30 mn women become 'Lakhpati Didis': FM Sitharaman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year launched the 'Lakhpati didi Yojana', which seeks to give training to women associated with self-help groups

Govt to add more medical colleges by utilising existing infra: Sitharaman

The government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising existing hospital infrastructure and will set up a committee to examine the matter, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting the interim Budget for 2024-2025 on Thursday. The minister also said that the government will encourage vaccination for girls in the 9-14 year age group for the prevention of cervical cancer. Various schemes for maternal and child healthcare will be brought under one comprehensive programme for synergy in implementation, Sitharaman said in Parliament. "Several youth are ambitious to get qualified as doctors. They aim to serve our people through improved healthcare services. Our government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments. "A committee for this purpose will be set up to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations," Sitharaman said. The newly designed U-WIN platform for managing immunisatio

WATCH: Sitharaman infuses her Budget 2024 speech with PM Modi's quote

Speaking on the second day of the Budget session in the Parliament, Sitharaman began her sixth budget address, giving an extensive report card of the Narendra Modi government's decade-long tenure

Budget 2024: FM Sitharaman announces three new railway economic corridors

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed that around 40,000 trains running as part of the Indian Railways will be upgraded to Vande Bharat trains

Budget 2024: What did FM Nirmala Sitharaman say on domestic tourism

From interest-free loans to Lakshadweep and island connectivity, here is everything Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on tourism in the Interim Budget 2024

India-Middle East-Europe corridor game changer for us, says FM Sitharaman

The Union Minister also underscored the success of India's G20 presidency and said that during the tough times engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic, India navigated its way and addressed global problems

Budget 2024: FM announces Rs 1 trillion corpus for research in technology

'A corpus of Rs 1 trillion will be established with 50-year interest free loan provided,' announced Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on Thursday

Interim Budget: Housing scheme for 'deserving' middle class soon, says FM

FM Nirmala Sitharaman also said that India is close to achieving the target of 30 million houses under the rural housing scheme

Global affairs becoming more complex, challenging with wars: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the global situation is becoming more complex and challenging due to wars and conflicts in different parts of the world. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted the global supply chains, impacting trade. The minister, while presenting the interim Budget, said that the new world order is emerging and India has successfully navigated the global challenges in fuel and fertiliser price spike. She also said that strengthening the financial sector in the country has helped make savings, credit and investments more efficient. All forms of infrastructure are being built in record time, she said. The government has also provided transparent, accountable, trust-based administration with a citizen-first approach.

Budget 2024: 'Governance, development, performance,' FM redefines GDP

Budget 2024: Emphasising the government's narrative of inclusive growth, Sitharaman said the next five years will have golden moments in the Indian economy

Interim Budget: Ayushman Bharat cover to be extended to all ASHA workers

Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana was launched in 2018 and provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh to over 500 million beneficiaries

Proactive management helps keep inflation within manageable level: FM

Proactive inflation management has helped keep the country's inflation within the manageable range, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting the interim Budget on Thursday. She also said that the inflation has moderated. The Reserve Bank of India has been mandated by the government to ensure retail inflation remains at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side. Retail inflation rose at the fastest pace in four months in December 2023 at 5.69 per cent on account of an increase in prices of vegetables, pulses, and spices. The annual inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 5.55 per cent in November and 5.72 per cent in the year-ago month. As per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the rate of price rise in the food basket, which constitutes nearly half of the CPI, increased to 9.53 per cent in December 2023 against 8.7 per cent in the preceding month and 4.19 per cent in December 2022. In August 2023, inflation ha

430 mn loans aggregating to Rs 22.5 trn extended under PM Mudra Yojana: FM

The government has extended 43 crore loans aggregating to Rs 22.5 lakh crore were extended under the PM Mudra Yojana, Finance Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. Sitharaman in her pre-election Budget, which is technically a vote on account and is popularly termed an interim Budget, said direct benefit transfer of Rs 34 lakh crore through Jan Dhan accounts have resulted in savings of Rs 2.7 lakh crore. The finance minister also said 30 crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women in the last 10 years. Saturation approach of covering all eligible people is true and comprehensive achievement of social justice and this is secularism in action, she asserted. She added that India today has 80 chess grandmasters compared to 20 in 2010.

Expect our govt will be blessed again by people with resounding mandate: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday expressed hope that the BJP-led government will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate in the forthcoming general elections. The elections to the Lok Sabha will be held in the next few months. "Based on stupendous work, we expect our government will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate," she said. She also said India overcame challenges of Covid-19, created foundations for self-reliant India. India was facing enormous challenges when the Modi government took office in 2014, and it overcame those in right earnest, Sitharaman said.

Budget 2024: Working to make India developed nation by 2047, says FM

The government is working to make India a developed country by 2047, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. Presenting the interim Budget 2024-25, Sitharaman also said minimum support prices for 'Annadata' (farmers) have been increased periodically and appropriately. She asserted that for the government, social justice is an effective and necessary model. The government is focussing on addressing systemic inequalities, she said, adding that the emphasis is on outcomes so that socio-economic transformation is achieved. "We focus on outcomes and not outlays," Sitharaman said. Poor, women, youth and farmers are four castes for the government, she added.

FM unveils interim budget, says economy going through profound change

Modi is leading the election race by a distance because of his personal popularity and the government is under little pressure to announce populist schemes, analysts say

Budget 2024: Sitharaman tables sixth budget, equals Morarji Desai's record

Budget 2024: This year's budget is an interim one, where the government only seeks advance grants to meet the country's expenditure till a new government takes charge after the Lok Sabha elections

Budget 2024: PM Modi-led Union Cabinet clears pre-election interim Budget

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the pre-election budget 2024-25, sources said. Following this, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her sixth budget in the Lok Sabha. She will equal the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman, the first full-time woman finance minister of the country, has presented five full budgets since July 2019 and will present an interim or vote-on-account budget on Thursday. With this, she will surpass the records of her predecessors like Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, who had presented five budgets in a row. Desai, as finance minister, had presented five annual budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964. The interim budget 2024-25 will be a vote-on-account that will give the government authority to spend certain sums of money till a new government comes to office after the April-May general elections.