National
High flowing couplets in Nirmala’s budget do little to ease economic woes
New Delhi: It was an unusually long 2 hours, 41 minutes Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, where she tried to come across as ‘pro-farmer’ while devising a new tax regime aimed at the middle class. however, beyond the couplets and promises, the specifics showed either no increase in allocation or marginal. With very little fiscal room to manoeuvre, Sitharaman walked a tightrope.
First the good thing that this government has done. It has considerably increased the allocation for pensions that is surely going to make a lot of retired people happy. From Rs 1,84,147 crore last year, it has jumped up to Rs 2,10,682 crore. Also ‘interest’ allocations have jumped up from last fiscal’s 6,25,105 crore to Rs 7,08,203 crore. In fact, the estimate for rural development has only gone up by Rs 1,408 crore.
But beyond that, there has been no sizeable jump. For instance, a government that breathes national security and even the Finance Minister’s mentioning that it comes top of its agenda, the defence expenditure saw a marginal rise.
Last fiscal year, the defence estimate was Rs 3,16,296 crore. But this year it rose to just Rs 3,23,053 crore. A jump of Rs 6,757 crore. This thin jump is unusual given India has kept its forces stationed on both borders along Pakistan and China.
Similarly, even after so much talk about ‘Gaon, Gareeb, Kisan’ budget, apart from the promises of Kisan Udan or Kisan Rail, when it comes to numbers, it shows minor rise.
Last fiscal year, the government estimated to spend Rs 1,20,835 crore on agriculture and allied services. This year it has an estimate of Rs 1,54,775 crore. Given India’s rural economy is in bad shape and agriculture and rural infrastructure are the only way to put money in the villagers hand, the hike is not phenomenal, to say the least.
What’s more? There has been a decrease of subsidies. After breaking it down, one realises, while food subsidy and petroleum subsidies have gone up by wafer thin margin, fertiliser subsidy has gone down quite a bit. Against last years’ Rs 79,998 crore, this years estimate is Rs 71,309 crore.
Sectors like energy, external affairs or transport has witnessed very little change that it’s not even worth mentioning.
The social sectors spendings have also been extremely limited by Sitharaman.
While the ruling has predictably lauded the Finance Minister, calling this a ‘pro-people’ budget, the spendings show a different tale all together. But one can’t blame Sitharaman entirely, given the fiscal deficit the government is facing which crossed its set 3.3 per cent mark, taking care of fiscal prudence.
But it leaves the common man, unaware of such terminologies wondering, was the budget this year all about couplets like ‘blooming lotus in Dal Lake’ or they got to save something out of their hard earned money.
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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