'There Shall Be No Manual Cleaning Of Sewers & Septic Tanks': FM Announces Govt's Commitment To Social Welfare In Budget 2020

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read out the Union Budget for the financial year 2020-2021, she said that the theme for the budget was of 'Aspirational India, Economic Development, and Caring Society'.

While making budgetary announcements on the theme of 'Caring Society', she stressed on the current government's commitment to the development of women, children, and backwards classes.

Welfare Of Children, Women, & Senior Citizens

According to the data tabled in the Lok Sabha today, the Finance Minister said that the Modi-led government's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative has shown an improvement in the gross enrollments of girls across all sectors of education at an unprecedented level. She also said that the enrollment of girls now stands at a higher rate than boys, as per the government's data.

(Source: Lok Sabha Budget Speech 2020)

Nirmala Sitharaman, while speaking on how the health of a mother and her child are correlated, highlighted that to improve the nutritional status of children between the age of 0-6 years; adolescent girls; pregnant women; and lactating mothers, the Prime Minister's Poshan Abhiyaan programme has empowered more than 6 lakh Anganwadi workers with smartphones to upload the nutritional status of more than 10 crore households.

Along with this, she also proposed to provide Rs 35,600 crore for nutrition-related programmes for the financial year of 2020-21.

Sitharaman also proposed to appoint a task force w will work to present its recommendations in six months over the issue about the 'age at which a woman should consider being a mother'.

This budget, the finance minister said is going to provide for Rs 28,600 crore for programmes specific to women and Rs 9,500 crore for senior citizens.

Welfare Of Socially Underprivileged

The minister underscored the determination of the Modi-led government towards obliterating the evil practice of manual 'cleaning' of sewers and septic tanks.

"Suitable technologies for such task have been identified by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Ministry is working with urban local bodies for the adoption of this technology. We will now take it to its logical conclusion to legislative and institutional changes. Financial support for wider acceptance of such technologies will be provided," she said.

For promoting welfare amongst the socially underprivileged, the Finance minister announced that Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will be allotted an amount of Rs 85,000 crore and an amount of Rs 33,700 crore has been earmarked for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Also Read: Know 10 Key Takeaways From FM Sitharaman's Speech