New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the Union Budget 2022-23 and said it focuses on the poor, middle class and youth and aims to create new opportunities for the common man. “In the last seven years, decisions taken are continuously enlarging the Indian economy,” the Prime Minister told party leaders and workers here, adding that 7-8 years ago India’s GDP was Rs 1.10 lakh crore but today it is nearly Rs 2.3 lakh crore. Modi said that in 2013-14 India’s exports stood at Rs 2.85 lakh crore. Today, it totals Rs 4.7 lakh crore. “This budget has brought a new confidence of development in the midst of 100 years of terrible calamity along with strengthening the economy, which will create many new opportunities for the common man,” he said. “In 2013-14, public investment was at just Rs 1.87 lakh crore. In this year’s budget, we’ve pegged it at Rs 7.5 lakh crore. Compared to UPA, this has seen a four-time rise. This will promote FDI and create modern infrastructure in the country,” Modi said. Listing out the proposal made in the Budget, the Prime Minister said that in this year’s budget, there is provision for 80 lakh pucca houses for the poor and Rs 48,000 crore has been allotted. He said multimodal logistics parks will be set up at four places in the country and 100 Prime Minister Gatishakti Cargo Terminals will be developed for multimodal logistics facilities. He said in 2014 the nation had 90,000 km of national highways and these were built over 70 years. In the last seven years, the government had created 50,000 km of national highways. Talking about agriculture initiatives, the Prime Minister said, misinformation was spread about the MSP “but our government has made record purchases on MSP in the past year and farmers are expected to get more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore as MSP this season”. He said today India is importing edible oils in massive quantities. To become self-reliant in edible oil, a national mission has been started to reduce dependence on imports. On subsidy, the Prime Minister said the government has borne this increased amount so that there is no burden on the farmer. In this budget, this subsidy has been increased from Rs 79 thousand crore to Rs 1.5 lakh crore. He said the government has taken steps to make a Natural Farming Corridor, which will be 2,500 km long and nearly 10 km wide. In the first phase, it will be implemented in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal around the river Ganga. “In the last budget, we ensured the facility of Kisan Rail and Kisan Udan, now Kisan Drone is going to be the new friends of the farmer.” “In this year’s budget, a provision of Rs 68,000 crore has been made under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and this will also benefit about 11 crore farmers.” Hailing the Jal Jeevan Mission, he said water from taps has started reaching about 9 crore rural households. Of this, more than 5 crore water connections have been given under Jal Jeevan Mission in the last two years. This year about 4 crore rural households will get water connection. Calling the MSMEs the oldest and strongest pillars of the Indian economy, the Prime Minister said during Covid, the government started the ECGLS and this scheme has safeguarded nearly 1.5 crore jobs and aided six crore lives. “Today, India is emerging as a centre of mobile manufacturing. We are also witnessing good results in the automobile and battery manufacturing sector.” UNI JA MR
