This is a budget for 'New India', to benefit every strata of society: Thakur

Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday said this is a budget for 'New India', which will benefit every strata of the society. "This is one of the best pro-people budgets presented so far. Every strata of the society has been taken well into consideration and major reforms have been undertaken benefiting youth, women, farmers, investors and middle class," he said.

Calling it the new-decade budget for New India, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government believes in 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas'. "To ensure the same, I along with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have been meeting a host of stakeholders across sectors and genres, seeking for their suggestions and inputs. The same were taken well into consideration and the efforts were made to ensure that this Budget is good for all, good for the people and the country," he said.

The Budget is aimed at boosting income and purchasing power of people. Keeping the same in mind, middle class has been given top-most priority, he said adding that the new tax regime has been proposed to provide significant relief to individual taxpayers by providing income tax rates. This will not only give a boost to the middle class but also contribute towards laying the foundation for India to become an economic powerhouse, he added.

"We are committed to doubling farmers' income by 2022 and major initiatives have been proposed for the same. With the advent of 'Kisan Rail' and 'Krishi Udaan' to be launched by Indian Railways and Ministry of Civil Aviation, respectively, for a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, this will also serve beneficial as it will aid farmers in facilitating smooth and fast transport of perishable goods," he said. Giving a boost to the aspirations of the youth, he said the government has announced an allocation of Rs 99,300 crore for the education sector and Rs 3,000 crore for skill development to ensure that talent meets opportunity.