Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented budget 2021-22 : Check for Highlights

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented the General Budget 2021-22 in Parliament today. The budget was presented for the first time in a paperless manner in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic. The finance minister arrived in Parliament with a budget document in a tablet and gave the budget speech. This is the ninth budget of the Modi government, including an interim budget.

Let us tell you what important announcements the Finance Minister has made in the Budget 2021-22 to correct the severe injury caused to the economy due to the long Corona lockdown.

Big announcement for energy sector

It was proposed to start a Hydrogen Energy Mission in the year 2021-22, under which hydrogen can be generated from green power sources. The Ujjwala scheme will be expanded to include 1 crore more beneficiaries, with 100 more districts connecting the city gas distribution network in the next 3 years. A gas pipeline project will be started in Jammu and Kashmir Sandh territory.

18 thousand crores for public transport

The government announced a Rs 18,000-crore plan to strengthen public transport in urban areas. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitamaran presented the first paperless general budget in the Lok Sabha and said that by December 2023, there will be 100 percent electrification of broad gauge rail tracks. She said that a record Rs 1,10,055 crore would be provided for the railways out of which Rs 1,07,100 crore would be earmarked for capital expenditure in 2021-22.

Some other declarations by the Finance Minister

• CNG and LPG distribution facility to be provided in 100 more districts through gas distribution network

• One crore more beneficiaries will be added under Ujjwala scheme to provide free LPG cylinder

• Privatization of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities airports

• New metro technology for Tier 1 peripheral areas and Tier 2 cities - Metro Light and Metro Neo

• National Rail Plan 2030 is ready. Western and Eastern Freight Corridor to be ready by June 2022

• In addition to the National Health Mission, the Finance Minister proposed the introduction of a self-reliant health program with an expenditure of Rs 64,180 crore.

• Water life mission announced for 4,378 urban local bodies with an expenditure of Rs 2.87 lakh crore.

• Second phase of Swachh Bharat with expenditure of Rs. 1,41,678 crores in next five years

• Government will give Rs 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccination in 2021-22

• 1.97 lakh crore rupees will be spent in next five years on production based scheme (PLI) starting this financial year

• Announcement of voluntary vehicle scrapping policy for phased removal of old vehicles, proposing 20 years fitness test for private vehicles

• 20 pipelines of GAIL India Ltd., Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and HPCL to be marketed

• Allocation of 8500 km of road, highway projects by March 2022 to further improve the infrastructure.

• Declaration of road projects worth Rs 25,000 crores for assembly elections in West Bengal

• Rs 65,000 crore allocated for road, highway projects in Kerala and Rs 3,400 crore for Assam

• Announcement of Rs 18,000 crore plan to improve public transport system in urban areas

• A framework will be put in place to give electricity consumers the option to choose from more than one distribution company.

• Hydrogen energy mission to start next year for producing hydrogen from green energy sources

• Declaration of seven port projects worth more than Rs 2,000 crore under Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

• A subsidy scheme will be launched to encourage flagging of commercial-ships in India

• FDI limit in insurance sector raised from 49 percent to 74 percent

• Proposal to provide capital of Rs 20,000 crore to public sector banks

• LIC's IPO to be launched in 2021-22

• Two public sector banks and one general insurance company will be disinvested.