Finance Minister Faces Backlash Over Budget Decisions

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for rejecting important proposals in the Union Budget, such as school breakfast inclusion and better pay for Anganwadi workers, while announcing budget hikes for other schemes and unveiling a bold nuclear energy mission for 2047.

In a recent critique, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh censured Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for neglecting vital welfare proposals in the latest Union Budget. Ramesh underscored that proposals like incorporating school breakfasts and increasing Anganwadi worker pay were overlooked, despite years of advocacy from the Union Education and WCD Ministries.

While Sitharaman announced increased funding to the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes to support over 8 crore children and pregnant women, the enhancements didn’t extend to several significant areas as proposed by Ramesh. Instead, the Finance Minister focused on cost norm adjustments for the existing programs.

Additionally, Sitharaman heralded a transformative Nuclear Energy Mission aiming for 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047. To achieve this, the government plans legislative amendments to encourage private sector involvement, a step aligning with India’s ambitious developmental agenda encapsulated in the Viksit Bharat initiative.