Tag: Thiruvalluvar and Avvaiyar

A Kashmiri verse, quotes from Tamil poets and references to Saraswati-Sindhu civilisation dotted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's 160-minutelong marathon Budget speech. The longest Union Budget speech ever, some of her remarks, includingregarding ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadao’programme, were met with protestsfrom the Opposition benches. Her first Budget speech, in July 2019, went on for around 137 minutes.Agriculture Highlights:  Kisan Rail and Krishi Udan:The initiatives have been launched to facilitate smooth and fast transport of perishable goods to assist the farmers. Solar Pumps: The Government will also help 20 lakh farmers to set up standalone solar pumps.   Education Highlights:  Funds: The Government has announced allocationof 99,000croresfor the education sector. New Universities:The government will be setting up National Police University and National Forensic University. IND-SAT test:The government has also proposed to set up IND-SATtest for foreign students wishing to pursue higher education in India.   Tourism Highlights: Five archaeological siteswill be developed as iconic sites with on-sitemuseums in 5 different states. The sites include – Rakhigarhiin Haryana, Hastinapur in Up, Shivsagar in Assam, Dholavira in Gujarat and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu.   MSME & Corporate Sector The budget proposes a new scheme for MSMEs in the context of subordinate debt. The debt recast window of MSME is extended by one year to March 31,2021. Certain categories of government securities will now be opened for Non-Resident Investors. The FPI Limit in Corporate bond has increased to 15%.     Indian Railways Electrification of around 27000 km of railway lines achieved within 100 days of Modi Government formation in 2019. A large solar power capacity proposed for the Indian Railways. It will be built along the rail track on the Railways owned lands. Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project proposed; budget allocates Rs 18,600 crore for this project. By 2024, the Government would monetize 12 lots of national highways. With the help of UDAN scheme, 100 airports will be…