HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 24: The recently presented Budget for 2024-25 has been hailed as a balanced approach with a strong emphasis on bolstering opportunities for women, youth, and job creation.
Highlighting India’s robust economic growth amidst global uncertainties, the finance minister underscored initiatives aimed at enhancing education, employment, and skilling.
A significant allocation of Rs. 1.48 lakh crore has been earmarked for education, employment, and skilling, with a focus on benefiting 2.1 lakh youths through employment-linked skills training. Noteworthy revisions include increasing the Mudra loan limit to Rs. 20 lakh and introducing a new credit assessment model based on digital footprints, which aims to expand financial inclusion for MSMEs.
Special provisions to empower women in the workforce include setting up hostels, creches, and targeted skilling programs.
The Budget also addresses agricultural digitisation and proposes enhancements in educational loans and the upgrading of industrial training institutes.
Industry-academia partnerships are set to strengthen, with plans to upgrade 1,000 industrial training institutes to align courses with industry needs.
The Budget also focuses on leveraging digital infrastructure for agricultural improvements and simplifying tax regimes to boost technological innovation and ease of doing business.
Furthermore, measures to support startups include abolishing the Angel Tax and launching internship opportunities for one crore youth over five years, funded partly through CSR initiatives.
The Budget aims to harness India’s talent pool effectively while fostering a conducive environment for economic growth and innovation across various sectors.
