Bengaluru: Union Minister for Heavy Industries, H D Kumaraswamy, has extended his congratulations to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting her seventh consecutive budget in Parliament.
Kumaraswamy lauded the budget, describing it as a step towards realizing Prime Minister Modi’s vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) and referring to it as a ‘narishakti’ (women empowerment) budget due to its focus on providing benefits to women.
Kumaraswamy highlighted that the budget has identified nine priority zones, with a allocation of ₹1.48 lakh crore for education, employment, and skills development. This investment aims to create 4 crore jobs and effectively utilize human resources. “This budget includes initiatives to financially empower small and medium-scale industries, which are crucial for employment generation,” he noted.
Describing the budget as “visionary and far-reaching,” Kumaraswamy emphasized its focus on agriculture, industry, infrastructure, and employment generation. He mentioned the announcement of 12 industrial corridors, including the Bangalore-Chennai and Hyderabad-Bangalore corridors, which are expected to significantly boost employment and economic growth.
Kumaraswamy also praised the budget’s emphasis on agricultural research and development to meet the growing food demand and give a greater impetus to agriculture. He appreciated the extension of the digital survey scheme for agricultural crops to 400 districts across the country and commended Sitharaman for prioritizing natural farming.
Highlighting the focus on research and innovation, Kumaraswamy said, “Prioritizing industrial development through mutual collaboration between the central and state governments is an initiative that shall make a far-reaching contribution to development.” He also welcomed the provision of 50-year interest-free loans to states in the budget, describing it as an “all-reaching budget of the Amrit Kaal.”
