NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the fifth budget on Wednesday which is the last full budget of the Narendra Modi government in its second term. Among other things, the budget would be remembered for according special importance to women.
Before presenting Budget 2023 in Parliament, Sitharaman called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday morning. It was for the first time in the country’s history that a woman finance minister presented the budget to a woman president.
In fact, the budget session of Parliament in itself has created a history of sorts. The first two consecutive days of the session belonged to women. President Murmu addressed the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on the opening day of the budget session on Tuesday. On the very next day, finance minister Sitharaman presented Budget 2023.
BJP Lok Sabha MP Geetaben Rathwa from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat, in a tweet said, “Women power!”
BJP functionary from Maharashtra Priti Gandhi said, “For the first time in the history of our country, a woman Finance Minister will present India's economic budget under the leadership of a woman President. This is the golden era of women empowerment!”
Talking to TOI, India’s first woman IPS officer and former lieutenant governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi said, “It is being increasingly realised that if India has to be a truly developed country its women have to combine entrepreneurial skills which generates economic and social self-reliance. Which is why all these financial and organisational incentives are being offered to both rural and urban women to draw them out. To make them progressively secure and be an integral part of nation building.”
After rising to present the budget, Sitharaman said, “I present the Budget for 2023-24. This is the first Budget in Amrit Kaal.”
In the introduction itself, she indicated how the women were placed in the scheme of things. She said, “This Budget hopes to build on the foundation laid in the previous Budget, and the blueprint drawn for India@100. We envision a prosperous and inclusive India, in which the fruits of development reach all regions and citizens, especially our youth, women, farmers, OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”
Talking about economic empowerment of women through Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, the FM said National Rural Livelihood Mission has achieved remarkable success by mobilising rural women into 81 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs). “We will enable these groups to reach the next stage of economic empowerment through formation of large producer enterprises or collectives with each having several thousand members and managed professionally. They will be helped with supply of raw materials and for better design, quality, branding and marketing of their products. Through supporting policies, they will be enabled to scale up their operations to serve the large consumer markets, as has been the case with several start-ups growing into ‘Unicorns’.”
The finance minister also talked about PM VIshwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM VIKAS) and said for centuries, traditional artisans and craftspeople, who work with their hands using tools, have brought renown for India. They are generally referred to as Vishwakarma. The art and handicraft created by them represents the true spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
She said for the first time, a package of assistance for them has been conceptualised. The new scheme will enable them to improve the quality, scale and reach of their products, integrating them with the MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) value chain. The components of the scheme will include not only financial support but also access to advanced skill training, knowledge of modern digital techniques and efficient green technologies, brand promotion, linkage with local and global markets, digital payments, and social security.
“This will greatly benefit the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, women and people belonging to the weaker sections,” she said.
Sitharaman further said the budget adopts seven priorities. These seven priorities complement each other and act as the ‘Saptarishi’ guiding us through the Amrit Kaal. The seven priorities are Inclusive Development, Reaching the Last Mile, Infrastructure and Investment, Unleashing the Potential, Green Growth, Youth Power and Financial Sector.
The first priority of Inclusive Development included women. It said, “The Government’s philosophy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has facilitated inclusive development covering in specific, farmers, women, youth, OBCs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, divyangjan and economically weaker sections, and overall priority for the underprivileged (vanchiton ko variyata). There has also been a sustained focus on Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the North-East. This Budget builds on those efforts.”
In a special gesture towards women, the budget proposes to launch ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Mahila Samman Bachat Patra.
The finance minister said, “For commemorating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a one-time new small savings scheme, Mahila Samman Savings Certificate, will be made available for a two-year period up to March 2025. This will offer deposit facility upto 2 lakh in the name of women or girls for a tenure of 2 years at fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent with partial withdrawal option.”
