Today (February 1), across the country, there’s one thing on everyone’s mind — the Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting a record eighth consecutive Budget, which comes in the backdrop of slowdown in economy and demand for tax cuts for middle class.

This takes Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai has presented a total of six budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and four budgets between 1967 and 1969.

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stood up to deliver her speech, she said that Union Budget 2025-2026 prioritises these key sectors — poor, youth, farmers and women —
‘Garib, Yuva, Annadata aur Naari’ (GYAN).

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Here’s how Union Budget 2025 will focus on GYAN.

For the ‘garib’, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget has proposed the Rural Prosperity & Resilience Programme. This will address underemployment in agriculture through skilling, investment and technology. It will also focus on rural women, young farmers, rural youth, marginal & small farmers, and, landless families.

The finance minister has also announced revamping of the existing PM-SVANidhi loan scheme, which was launched in 2020 to help street vendors hit by the Covid-19 pandemic get back on their feet. The scheme, which has helped 68 lakh vendors so far, will have enhanced bank loans, UPI-linked credit cards and capacity building support.

Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech also announced the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) until 2028. This was launched in 2019. The scheme aims at providing 55-litre drinking water per capita per day. In the next phase of the JJM, the focus will be on operations and maintenance of the infrastructure created during the phase-1. While the pipelines have been laid at many places under the JJM, the households complain of non-availability of drinking water.

Nirmala Sitharaman has also announced a new scheme, which will provide term loans of up to Rs 2 crore during the next five years. This scheme will incorporate lessons from the successful stand-up India scheme.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also placed emphasis on the youth in her Budget. She has announced the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme, which will provide digital books to students in their own language, improving their understanding of subjects.

The government also plans to enhance rural education infrastructure by providing broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools and primary health centres in rural areas. Additionally, five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling will be established, leveraging global expertise and partnerships.

She also announced that the government will create additional infrastructure in five IITs. Moreover, around 10,000 medical seats will be added in hospitals and medical institutions.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that a total of 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs will be established in the next five years to cultivate scientific temper in young minds.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will arrange identity cards and registration on the e-Shram portal to assist 1 crore gig workers.

The finance minister also said a scheme for the socio-economic upliftment of urban workers will be implemented. “Gig workers of online platforms provide great dynamism to the ‘New Age’ services economy. Recognising their contribution, our government will arrange for their identity cards and registration on the e-Shram portal,” she said. Such workers will be provided health care facilities under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and this measure is likely to assist nearly one crore workers, Sitharaman added.

To focus on annadata (farmers), Nirmala Sitharaman has set out some measures in the Budget.

Firstly, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new scheme for the agricultural sector — the Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY). This scheme will be implemented in partnership with states, across 100 districts in its first phase. The scheme will be on the lines of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. The ADP is implemented across 112 districts. The PMDDKY will be implemented across agriculture districts. The scheme is aiming to benefit 1.7 crore farmers.

Besides this, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government will be launching a six-year programme for Atamnirbharta in pulses with special focus on tur, urad, and masoor.

“Comprehensive programme for raising vegetables, fruits production, and providing remunerative prices will also be launched,” said Sitharaman.

While announcing this programme, she also announced that Bihar will get a new Makhana board in an attempt to boost the cultivation and marketing of fox nuts. “There is a special opportunity for the people of Bihar. A Makhana Board will be established in the state to improve production, processing, value addition and marketing of makhana. The people engaged in these activities will be organised into FPOs. The Board will provide hand holding and training support to makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant government schemes,” she said while presenting the Union Budget 2025-26.

The finance minister also said the government will bring enabling framework for sustaining harvest of fisheries sector in exclusive economic zones and high seas.

She also announced a five-year mission to promote cotton production.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that a comprehensive programme for raising vegetables, fruits’ production, and providing remunerative prices will also be launched. She further stated that the government, in an attempt to achieve atmanirbharta in urea production, will set up a plant with 12.7 lakh tonne capacity in Assam.

In her Budget Speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed that the Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) will continue in offering short-term loans to 7.7 crore farmers, fishermen, and dairy farmers. Moreover, the loan cap will be raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for KCC loans, enhancing financial assistance for agricultural activities.

To further enhance the lives of farmers, Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the development of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar. This, according to the Union minister, will raise farmers’ income.

Union Budget 2025-2026 also emphasises on women in the country. For this, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new scheme, offering Rs 2 crore for first-time women entrepreneurs.

She also announced that the government will facilitate setting up of daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years and 200 of these will be established in 2025-26. Furthermore, the minister announced a Saksham anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programme to provide nutritional support to eight crore children and women.

With inputs from agencies

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Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2025 is all about ‘GYAN’. Here’s what it means