Increased allocation to defence Budget to Rs 5.94 lakh crore for 2023-24 from last year’s allocation of Rs 5.25 lakh crore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPM Vishwa Karma Kaushal Samman<\/span><\/strong>-package of assistance for traditional artisans and craftspeople has been conceptualised, and will enable them to improve the quality, scale & reach of their products, integrating with the MSME value chain. The Centre is focused on increasing jobs for the youth and enhancing the agriculture sector by bringing modern technologies.<\/span><\/p>\nThe government has a Capex of Rs 35,000 crore for energy transition investment. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says that battery storage will get viability gap funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe government also remodels the credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs with an investment of Rs 9,000 crore, reducing the cost of credit by 1 percentage point. This will come into effect from April 1, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\nFinance Minister, in her budget, has extended the date of incorporation for startups to avail tax benefits to March 31, 2024, from March 31, 2023. The FM also proposes the benefit of carrying forward losses on change of shareholding for startups to 10 years of incorporation from the current seven years.<\/p>\n
Focus on youth skill development.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nThe Budget is focusing on the development of the youth and has envisaged programmes that will help add to the talent pool in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSkill Digital India Platform<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– It enables demand-based formal skilling, linking with employers and facilitating access to entrepreneurship schemes<\/span><\/p>\nCentres of excellence for artificial intelligence<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– Three centres for AI to be set up realising the vision of ‘Make AI in India and Make AI Work in India’.<\/span><\/p>\nNational Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– To provide stipend support to 47 lakh youngsters in three years through Direct Benefit Transfer.<\/span><\/p>\nPradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– On-job training, industry partnership, and alignment of courses with the needs of the industry<\/span><\/p>\nIn addition at the school level, a National digital library for children and adolescents will be set up for facilitating the availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres, and levels, and device-agnostic accessibility.<\/span><\/p>\nStates will be encouraged to set up libraries for them (children) at panchayat and ward levels and provide infrastructure for accessing the national digital library’s sources.<\/span><\/p>\nHealthcare gets a boost in the Budget<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nFinance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2023-24 increased the allocation for Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to Rs 7200 crore, while Rs 646 crore has been allocated for the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).<\/span><\/p>\nSitharaman also announced that the union government will launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia in India by 2047. “It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments,” Sitharaman told parliament.<\/span><\/p>\nThe allocation for Ayushman Bharat, the world\u2019s largest government-funded health assurance scheme, is a 12% increase from the amount of Rs 6,412 crore allotted in FY23.<\/span><\/p>\nA sum of Rs 88,956 crore was allocated to the health and family welfare ministry, compared to Rs 86,606 crore in FY23<\/span><\/p>\n