While presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament on Wednesday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 47.8 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened across the country so far.
Sitharaman said the National Rural Livelihood Mission has achieved remarkable success by mobilising rural women into 1 lakh self help groups (SHGs).
Launched in 2014, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is the national mission for financial inclusion to ensure access to financial services -- savings and deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance and pension in an affordable manner.
50 more tourism destinations to be developed: Finance Minister
Talking about tourism in India, this year's Union Budget (2023-24) for the tourism sector promises to hold huge opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship.While presenting the Budget on Wednesday, Finance Minister Niramal Sithraman said that the promotion of tourism will be taken up on mission mode with the active participation of states' convergence of government programmes and public-private partnerships.
States will be encouraged to set up a 'Unity Mall' in the state capital or the most popular tourist destination in the state for the promotion and sale of 'One District, One product' and GI products and other handicrafts.
50 tourist destinations will be selected through challenge mode to be developed as a whole package for domestic and international tourism.
Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana outlay hiked by 66% to Rs 79,000 cr
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced a 66 per cent hike in the outlay for the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY) to Rs 79,000 crore.
The scheme envisages providing houses for rural as well as urban poor and the massive hike in its outlay holds significance keeping in mind the fact that this is the last proper Budget of the NDA government before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Also as many as nine states go to polls this year.
Meanwhile, in her speech while presenting the Union Budget for 2023-24, Sitharaman further said that the capital investment outlay has been increased for the third year by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore, which will be 3.3 per cent of GDP.
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She further informed that an urban infra development fund will be managed by the National Housing Bank (NHB) and will be used by public agencies.
"We expect to make available Rs 10,000 crore per annum for the urban infra development fund," Sitharaman informed in the course of her speech.
Budget to encourage agri-startups by youngsters: Finance Minister
Agriculture accelerator fund will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.
While presenting the Budget 2023-24 before the Parliament, the minister said, "Digital public infrastructure of agriculture to be built as open source, opened standard, interoperable public good".
She further said that the budget will enable inclusive farmer-centric solutions and help improve access to farm inputs, market intel, support for agri industry and start up.
