Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the Budget 2022 has taken public investment to a record level and this would create more infrastructure which will lead to faster growth and more jobs in the country.
In a virtual address to BJP workers across the nation, Modi countered the criticism that the Budget did not have much for the farmers, middle class and the poor. He said that the river-linking programme under which Rs 60,000 crore have been allocated for Ken-Betwa project will go a long way in meeting the irrigation needs of farmers in Madhya Pradesh.
The Prime Minister said Rs 68,000 crore has been provisioned in the Budget for direct assistance to farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi. Besides this, a digital platform has been created to help farmers get the best price for their produce, and a separate agriculture corridor will also be created for the benefit of farmers.
He said there is also a scheme to make Annadatas into Urja-datas. Under this scheme, farmers will be provided solar pumps through which they would be able to sell their excess power. Farmers will also be provided with 'Kisan Drones', which will help them efficiently handle their crops. He said his government has made a record procurement under the minimum Support price (MSP).
The Prime Minister said the Budget has a large number of schemes for the benefit of the poor and youth. He said over nine crore households have piped water today, and 80 lakh pucca houses are being constructed for the poor. This, he said, is being done with the aim of providing housing for all.
He said the focus of the government has now turned to developing remote areas of the country and talked about the schemes of vibrant villages and Project Parvatmala. He said all the villages of the country will soon be connected with optical fibre cable which will take high-speed intenet to the villages. This, he said, will open doors to development in villages. The Prime Minister said that the Project Parvatmala will take the government's development schemes to the remote Himalayan villages and provide modern connectivity and infrastructure to these regions.
PM Modi said the Budget has laid the foundation for providing growth avenues for the youth of the country. He said startups have been given further tax benefits and asked youth to start their own business.
He said the country's first digital university will be established soon and India should move towards becoming the gaming hub. Underlining the huge size of the gaming market, he said India should develop its own games in order to reduce dependence on foreign games.
He said India is known in the world for its high-speed and affordable internet. "Our country is now moving towards 5G internet. This will help in ease of living and ease of doing business."
The PM said India is moving towards being Atmanirbhar, and on the foundation of this Atmanirbhar Bharat, a modern India should be built.