I thank PM Modi for Rs.5,300 crore assistance for Upper Bhadra project
The budget has addressed the concerns of hardworking middle-class citizens
Bengaluru, Wednesday, February 2, 2023
The first budget of Amrit Kaal presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is futuristic, growth oriented and has laid a strong foundation for India@100 in 2047. The Budget has focussed on every sector and will benefit every section of society giving an impetus to the Aatmanibhar Bharat vision.
I thank PM Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for central assistance of Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project. This will immensely benefit the people of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Davangere districts by providing irrigation facility to farmers and recharging the groundwater table to provide drinking water in drought-prone taluks of these districts.
The Economic Survey 2023 tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday showed that the central and state governments’ budgeted expenditure in the health sector reached 2.1 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022-23. This is in the direction of the vision of National Health Policy – 2017, which has envisaged increasing the government’s health expenditure to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2025. The share of government’s health expenditure in total health outlay has increased from 28.6 per cent in 2014 to 40.6 per cent in 2019. Thanks to Ayushman Bharat, the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) as a share of total health expenditure has come down to 48.2 per cent in 2019 from 64.2 per cent in 2014.
The budget proposal to establish one hundred and fifty-seven new nursing colleges in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014 is a welcome move to address the increasing human resource needs in healthcare sector. The mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 with universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments is yet another step towards healthier India. The decision to make facilities in select ICMR Labs available for research by public and private medical college faculty and private sector R&D teams will encourage collaborative research and innovation in a big way making us battle ready for future healthcare challenges. Launching dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices will go a long way in ensuring availability of skilled manpower for futuristic medical technologies, high-end manufacturing and research.
The special focus on promoting millets will not only ensure better nutrition and health among citizens but will also boost our fight against climate change. This is a great step towards ensuing food and water security for our future generations.
The budget has also addressed the concerns of our hardworking salaried middle class by increasing the income tax exemption limit increased to 7 lakhs. In a nutshell the seven priorities of the Budget – inclusive development, reaching last mile, infrastructure & investment, unleashing potential of India, Green growth, banking on youth power and bolstering finance sector – will take the country further on growth trajectory.
