Vishnupriya
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday is currently presenting the annual budget at the Parliament. Nirmala Sitharaman presented her record 8th consecutive budget today in the Lok Sabha.
Viksit Bharat encompasses zero poverty, 100 pc quality education, comprehensive healthcare, says Finance Minister Sitharaman in her budget speech.
She also announced establishment of makhana board in Bihar.”Makhana Board will be established in Bihar to improve production and processing of fox nut,” Sitharaman said.
Medical seats, daycare cancer centre in FM’s annual budget
1.1 lakh medical undergraduate and postgraduate seats have been added since 2014, said Sitharaman, and added that in the next year 10,000 additional seats to be added in hospitals and colleges. She also added that government will facilitate setting up of daycare cancer centre in all district hospitals in next 3 years.
To provide relief to patients suffering from cancer, rare diseases 36 life saving drugs to be fully exempted from custom duty; 6 life saving medicines for concessional exemption.
Cost norms for nutritional support programmes to be enhanced
Presenting the annual budget, Sitharaman said Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programmes provide nutritional support to over 8 crore children, 1 crore pregnant and lactating women, and 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the northeast region. “The cost norms for these nutritional support (programmes) will be enhanced accordingly,” the finance minister said.
Medical tourism in India to be promoted in partnership with private sector
Promoting medical tourism boosts a country’s economy by attracting international patients, increasing foreign exchange earnings, and creating jobs in healthcare and hospitality. It enhances healthcare infrastructure, encouraging investments in hospitals, advanced technology, and skilled professionals. Medical tourism fosters global collaboration, improving medical research and expertise. Patients benefit from high-quality, cost-effective treatments with shorter wait times. It also supports traditional medicine like Ayurveda, expanding cultural influence. By positioning a country as a global healthcare hub, medical tourism strengthens diplomatic ties, promotes wellness tourism, and enhances the overall reputation of its medical services on an international scale.
Meanwhile, the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday projected India’s economy to grow between 6.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent in the next financial year 2025-26. The survey, tabled a day before the union budget, highlights that the country’s economic fundamentals remain strong, supported by a stable external account, fiscal consolidation, and private consumption. “The fundamentals of the domestic economy remain robust, with a strong external account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and stable private consumption. On balance of these considerations, we expect that the growth in FY26 would be between 6.3 and 6.8 per cent,” it said.
The budget allocation for the Department of Health & Family Welfare increased by 85% from Rs. 47,353 cr in 2017-18 (BE) to Rs. 87,657 cr in 2024-25 (BE)
The budget allocation for the Department of Health & Family Welfare (DoHFW) has increased by 85% from Rs. 47,353 crores in 2017-18 (BE) to Rs. 87,657 crores in 2024-25 (BE). Further, the 15th Finance Commission provided Rs. 70,051 crore Grants for health through the local Governments.
The Indian government had allocated ₹90,958 crore for healthcare in the 2024-25 fiscal year, reflecting a 2% increase from the previous year focusing on enhancing infrastructure, strengthening existing healthcare programs, and integrating maternal and child health initiatives under the National Health Mission to improve overall healthcare services.
Nirmala Sitharaman creates history with 8th consecutive budget
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday made history as she presented a record eighth consecutive budget, which comes in the backdrop of slowdown in economy and demand for tax cuts for middle class.
This will take Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai has presented a total of 6 budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and 4 budgets between 1967 and 1969.
Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of the Union Budget.
President Murmu offered ‘dahi-chini’ to the Union Finance Minister. This is a customary sign of wishing good-luck. During their meeting, the Finance Minister was seen discussing the contours of the Budget proposals with the President. Sitharaman had in her first Budget in 2019 replaced the leather briefcase — which was in use for decades for carrying Budget documents — with a traditional ‘bahi-khata’ wrapped in red cloth. This year’s Budget would be in paperless form, as done in the last three years.
The first part of the Budget session will continue till February 13 and the two Houses will again meet on March 10 after recess with the session concluding on April 4.
