Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the Union Budget for its measures for every section of society, asserting that it has heralded better growth and a bright future.
“The budget will act as a catalyst in making India the third-largest economy in the world and will lay a solid foundation for a developed India,” he said in his televised remarks after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in Parliament.
PM Modi lauded the budget’s sharp focus on the youth, backward sections, women and middle class as also on manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, and asserted that the proposed employment-linked incentive schemes will create crores of new jobs.
“This visionary budget will uplift and empower every stratum of our society, paving the way for a brighter future for all,” he said, stressing his government’s commitment to generating employment and self-employment opportunities.
“In this Budget, the government has announced ‘Employment Linked Incentive scheme. This will help generate many employment opportunities. Under this scheme, the government will give the first salary to those who are newly entering the workforce. Youth from villages will be able to work in the country’s top companies under the apprenticeship program. We have to make entrepreneurs in every town, every village and every house,” he said.
“This Budget will provide a new scale to education and skill. It will give new strength to the middle class. It has come with strong schemes aimed at strengthening tribals, Dalits and backwards. This Budget will help assure financial partnership,” he added.
PM Modi said the development of the country’s eastern region will get new momentum and energy through the budget’s “Purvodaya” vision. New impetus will be given to the development of important infrastructure such as highways, water projects and power projects, he added.
“A big focus of this budget is the nation’s farmers,” the prime minister said, noting that the government, after unveiling the world’s biggest grain storage scheme, has now introduced “vegetable production clusters” which will help both farmers and the middle class.