The Union Budget has paved the way for ease of living with opportunities, development and economic stability as focal points, Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2023-24 on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters here, the BJP leader said a global hub for millets would be a big step in increasing farmers' income.
To make India a global hub for millets, also called "Shree Anna", the finance minister said Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Millet Research would be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level. Himachal was the first state to provide Budget provision to start natural farming and bring farmers under the practice, the former chief minister added. He also welcomed the move to build 50 new airports and develop tourist destinations, saying it would improve connectivity.
Speaking on railway connectivity, Thakur pointed to the higher cost of construction of tracks in hilly states like Himachal and said the Budget provision of Rs 2.40 lakh crore would expedite the ongoing Bhanupali-Bilapur, Baddi, Una-Hamirpur projects. The opening of nursing colleges in 157 medical colleges would ensure the setting up of four new government nursing colleges in Himachal's Tanda (Kangra), Hamirpur, Chamba and Nahan regions, he said.
Thakur also hailed the first Budget of "Amrit Kaal" that, he said, aimed at empowering and strengthening the elders and women apart from weaker sections like the poor, tribals, Dalits, backward classes, the deprived and the disabled. He lauded initiatives such as creating digital libraries for children, appointing 38,800 teachers, higher allocation for housing and the National Hydrogen Mission to promote green growth. The Budget's main agenda was employment generation, inclusive and green developments, empowering the youth and strengthening the economy, Thakur said, adding that the salaried and middle class were given the historic gift of "no tax up to Rs 7 lakh income".
