Union Budget 2021: FM Nirmala Sitharaman presents budget speech in Parliament, Highlights here

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting the Budget 2021-22 in Parliament today.

The Budget comes at a time when India has been battling with the coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic and the economy is reeling under the aftereffects of the lockdown.

This would be Sitharaman’s third Budget under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Another specialty of this year’s budget is that it will be unique as it will be paperless.

The Finance Minister earlier had asserted that this year’s Budget will “be a Budget like never before.” It is expected that the Budget will help in revival by various sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, rural economy and MSMEs sectors that faced the worst impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions.

Here are the announcements made by the Union Finance Minister during her budget speech:

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaches Parliament ahead of Budget presentation.
• Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is ready to deliver the Budget speech in Parliament. The session will begin at 11 am.
• FM begins Union Budget 2021-22 speech.
• The Finance Minister says that the total financial impact of all Aatmanirbhar Bharat packages, including measures taken by RBI, was about Rs27.1 lakh crore, more than 13% of GDP.
• FM announces Rs 64,180 crore will be invested over 6 years to improve primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. This is in addition to National Health Mission.
• Sitharaman announces outlay of Rs 2.87 lakh crore for Jal Jeevan Mission.
• FM proposes Rs 2,217 crore outlay for 42 urban centers to address problems related to air pollution.
• The Finance Minister announces Rs 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccines.
• FM says the total budget outlay for healthcare is 2.23 lakh crore. This is an increase of 137% from last year.
• FM says since more economic corridors being planned to boost road infrastructure the Government aims to complete 11,000 km of national highway infrastructure this year.
• FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces a record sum of Rs 1.10 lakh crore for Railways.
• The Central Govt to provide Rs 18,000 crore for public buses, announces Sitharaman.
• Rs 3.05 lakh crore outlay announced for the power sector.
• Finance Minister announces increase of FDI in Insurance from 49% to 74%.
• Government has approved policy for disinvestment in all non-strategic and strategic sectors, says FM.
• FM announces IPO to be brought to LIC in 2022.
• Finance Min said, Government is committed to welfare of farmers. More than Rs 75,000 crore paid to wheat farmers in 2020-21, 43.36 lakh benefited from this while the total amount paid to paddy farmers surged to Rs 1.72 lakh crore in 2020-21.
•  100 new Sainik Schools to be set up with taking help from NGOs.
• One nation one ration card has been implemented in the 32 states benefitting 69 crore beneficiaries across the country. Remaining 4 States and UT will be integrated in few months: FM
• Central University to be set up in Leh, announced Union Minister during Budget Speech.
• The forthcoming census will be the first digital Census. Over three thousand 700 crore rupees has been allocated for 2021-22 in this regard.
• Fiscal Deficit is 9.5 percent of GDP. Estimated fiscal deficit will be 6.8 per cent. COVID19 Pandemic impacted the revenue inflow.
• For senior citizens who only have pension and interest Income, I propose exemption from Filing their Income Tax Returns : FM.
• Contingency fund of India augmented from Rs.500 crore to Rs.30,000 crore, says FM.
• Finance Minister finishes her budget speech presentation.