Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday hailed the budget for the year 2021-22 presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament and said that the budget is inclusive, complete and ambitious even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chief Minister said that the Union Budget rests on six pillars, which are health and well being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and research and development and minimum government and maximum governance.

Elaborating, Thakur said that in the coming six years, Rs 64180 crore would be spent under PM Atma Nirbhar Swasthya Bharat Yojana. This would strengthen the health infrastructure of the country and the state. A special emphasis has been laid on nutrition and on 112 aspirational districts of the country in the budget in which district Chamba of Himachal is also included, he said. The Chief Minister has also lauded the announcement of Union Finance Minister of expenditure of more than Rs 5 lakh crore in capital expenditure, which would be beneficial in constructing better infrastructure in the country.

He said that despite COVID pandemic, the budget is a great effort, which reflects from the sudden rise of two thousand points in Sensex immediately after the budget was announced.

The Chief Minister said that special emphasis has been laid on ease of doing business in the budget.

Thakur said that the steps taken for economic upliftment of farmers and horticulturists in the budget is also appreciable.

He said that under the minimum support price of wheat Rs 33,874 crore has been spent in 2013-14 and Rs 75060 crore has been spent in the year 2020-21, benefitting 43.36 lakh farmers. Under the minimum support price of grain Rs 63,928 crore have been spent in the year 2013-14, Rs 1,41,930 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 1,72,752 crore have been spent in the year 2020-21.

Similarly on the minimum support price of pulses, Rs 236 crore have been spent in 2013-14, Rs 285 crore in the year 2019-20 and Rs 10530 crore in the year 2020-21. This would be beneficial in doubling the income of the farmers, he added.

The Chief Minister also welcomed the decision of enhancing Rural Infrastructure Development Fund from Rs 30 thousand crore to Rs 40 thousand crore. This would prove beneficial in construction of better infrastructure in rural areas which strengthens rural economy, he said.