Budget to make country 'Atmanirbhar' and 'Vishwa Guru': BJP MP

Jaipur, Feb 11 (IANS) Speaking in support of the budget presented in Parliament, Rajasthan MP Diya Kumari said that the budget has paid special attention to basic issues like education, various schemes, skill development, health and sanitation. This will further bolster economic growth as well as employment opportunities, she said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Congratulating the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, the MP said that this budget reflects the Government's resolve to make the country truly 'Atmanirbhar' and a 'Vishwa-guru'. She also thanked the Government for allocating Rs 40,000 crores to Rajasthan out of the Rs 99,312 crores under human resource development.

Diya Kumari said that the pandemic made us understand the importance of health institutions. Therefore, the health expenditure has increased by 137% which is commendable. The production of two Covid-19 vaccines in India has strengthened the thinking of 'Made in India'.

Liberal measures, such as setting up of textile parks, will help strengthen the textile sector and MSMEs.

Talking about women empowerment and the National Education Policy, the MP said that it has been decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana by 1 crore beneficiaries. This budget focuses on the qualitative strengthening of 15,000 schools, which is a major step towards the implementation of the National Education Policy.

Diya Kumari said that being the daughter of a soldier, I welcome the decision to open 100 Sainik and Eklavya schools.

The Budget has acknowledged the importance of farmers and the creation of agricultural infrastructure. The Government is steadily increasing procurement at an MSP 1.5 times higher than the cost of production, she added.

Speaking on tax collection, Diya Kumari said that the increasing use of modern technology has helped in identifying tax evasion. This is evident from the record GST collections in the last few months. Apart from this, the Government's decision to conduct the country's first digital census this year is also monumental.