New Delhi

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech was short and crisp and bristled with many acronyms, something that the Modi government is known for. Positioned as the strategy document for Amrit Kaal, or Kartavya Kaal as it is being called now, the FM’s sixth budget speech — a vote on account, actually — lasted just 58 minutes, well below the 87 minutes she spoke last year.

Focussed on GYAN (Gareeb, Youth, Annadata (farmer) and Nari), whose needs the FM said were the government’s highest priority, the speech talked about a different GDP: Governance, Development and Performance. The FM outlined lofty goals of empowering the poor, solving the problems of the young, boosting the farmer’s income, and supporting women. “Gareeb Kalyan, Desh Ka Kalyan,” she said. Another new slogan coined in the budget was Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, and Jai Anusandhan, with science and research outlined as added focus areas to power innovation.

India Ahoy

If Make in India has been a big plank of the Modi government, then the FM, in her speech, came up with FDI — no, not foreign direct investment — but First Develop India. She talked about the holistic development of India and Indians to help the country become a fully developed economy by 2047.

She also reiterated the 3Ds of India: Democracy, Demography and Diversity, which were first mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech last year.  The trinity, along with ‘Sabka Prayas’ — a new catechism to add to Sabka Vikaas, Sabka Saath — would take India forward.  With a nod to the coming elections, the FM said the goal for the government is earning “Sabka Vishwas,” with the next five years being years of unprecedented development. We also heard last year’s reform, perform, transform being repeated this year.

Nari Shakti

The FM outlined how putting women in the hands of women was an important priority. And this was the cue for yet another catchy slogan — creating lakhpati didis. One crore women are already lakhpatis thanks to self-help groups, of which 9 crore women are members, and they are transforming the rural social landscape. The FM said the outlay for the lakhpati didi scheme would be increased from ₹2 crore to ₹3 crore.

Whether the economy is in the pink of health is debatable, but the FM also announced a Blue Economy 2.0 scheme for the restoration of aqua systems.  In sum, “Viksit Bharat” is the golden aim of the Amrit Kaal strategy document.

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