Finance Minister @nsitharaman ji presented the Budget of the 5th largest economy of the world today.
10 reasons why the world should welcome it:
𝟏.𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡. Capital investment outlay increased by 33% to Rs 10 trillion (Now 3.3% of GDP).
𝟐.𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. Includes KYC process simplification, Greater GIFT IFSC activities and establishing an EXIM Bank subsidiary for trade re-financing, PAN as Common Business Identifier, Central Data Processing Centre,
Indirect Tax support for manufacturing, stronger Ease of Compliance and Income Tax benefit for Startups.
𝟑.𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. Highest ever railways outlay at Rs 240 billion, 100 critical transport infrastructure projects, 50 additional air connectivity projects and establishing Urban Infrastructure Development Fund.
𝟒. 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Promoting greater digital payments, National Data Governance Policy, establishing Data Embassies, creating Entity DigiLocker, Centers of Excellence for AI and National Digital Library for children and adolescents.
𝟓. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. Making India Global Hub for Shree Anna (Millets), establishing massive decentralized storage capacity, promoting contribution of Cooperatives, increasing agriculture and fisheries credit,
establishing Agriculture Accelerator Fund and building digital public infrastructure for agriculture.
𝟔.𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲.Promoting Pharma R&D, ensuring HR for medical innovation & manufacturing, creating more medical research facilities and establishing 157 new nursing colleges.
𝟕. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.Expand opportunities through initiatives on skills&apprenticeship backed by National Apprenticeship Policy, stipend support to 4.7 million youth, creating 30 Skill India International Centres.
𝟖. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.Investing in Energy Transition and Net Zero objectives, undertaking Green Hydrogen Mission,VGF support for Battery ESS and encouraging Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE).
Also duty benefits for green mobility and renewable energy evacuation from Ladakh.
𝟗. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Modi Government’s pro-women policy commits to taking 8.1 million Self-Help Groups of rural women to become enterprises and collectives.
𝟏𝟎. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲.
Focus on 50 destinations to be developed as complete package with digital support.
India’s aspirations and targets are on a scale that will impact the world. Expect these developments to feature prominently in global conversations, including at G20.
This ranges from enhancing self-reliance, reducing poverty, unleashing youth and women power and strengthening diversity.
India is today a provider of solutions, ensuring basic facilities to its people, creating a modern infrastructure, building a digital network, eliminating corruption in Government schemes and above all, overcoming policy paralysis.
2️⃣ India’s working democracy is an important reason for the world why it matters.
3️⃣ India matters because global opportunities and challenges cannot be separated and India counts on both scores.
4️⃣ India matters when it is perceived as an exemplar by many in the Global South. And because there are few others who have taken our Development Partnership approach.
5️⃣ India matters when it makes a greater contribution to global production and services.
Addressed Foreign Ministers’ Session on G20 at Voice of Global South Summit.
Made following 7️⃣points:
1️⃣India and the Global South not only have a common future but also a common past. We shoulder burdens of a colonial past,even as we face inequities of the current world order.
2️⃣ While we promote faster rebalancing, more multipolarity and reformed multilateralism, it is imperative that key global conversations of our times reflect our concerns and challenges.
3️⃣ Challenges of unsustainable debt, unviable projects, trade barriers, contracting financial flows and climate pressure have been compounded by covid pandemic & knock-on effects of the Ukraine conflict.
Addressed the Foreign Ministers’ Session of the Voice of Global South Summit.
Made the following 8️⃣ points:
1️⃣Summit is conceived as a platform of developing countries to share concerns,perspectives &priorities. It has particular importance as India takes over G20 Presidency.
2️⃣ Whether it is the impact of Covid, food & energy security, climate change, terrorism, ongoing conflicts and debt crises, search for solutions do not give due weight to needs and aspirations of the Global South.
3️⃣ Those who were promised an interconnected world now see a world with higher walls, insensitive to social needs and discriminatory in its health practices.