Budget 2021: From Health To Innovation, FM Nirmala Sitharaman Lists Out 6 Pillars For Growth

Representative image (PC- MoneyControl.Com)

The proposals for Union Budget 2021-22 rest on six pillars, said Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech on February 1.

These are: health and well-being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and R&D, and minimum government and maximum governance.

Talking about the first pillar of health and well-being, the Finance Minister said the investment on health infrastructure in this budget has been increased substantially.

“Taking a holistic approach to health, we focus on three areas, i.e., preventive health, curative health and well-being – to be strengthened,” said Sitharaman.

Sitharaman then announced the launch of a new centrally sponsored scheme Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore over the next six years, in order to develop capacities of healthcare systems, develop institutions for detection and cure of new and emerging diseases.

Main interventions under the scheme include support for health and wellness centres, setting up integrated public health labs in all districts, critical care hospital blocks and strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), she added.

Sitharaman read out the Union Budget speech in the Lok Sabha from a tablet instead of a conventional paper document. The Budget will be available to parliamentarians and the public online.